REUTERS INSTITUTE DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016
Supported by
Surveyed by
REUTERS INSTITUTE DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 Nic Newman with Richard Fletcher, David A. L. Levy and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Supported by
Surveyed by
© Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 4
Foreword by David A. L. Levy 5
Methodology 6
Authorship and Research Acknowledgements 7
Section 1 Overview and Key Findings by Nic Newman 8
Section 2 Analysis by Country 30 2.1 United States 32 2.14 Netherlands 58 2.2 United Kingdom 34 2.15 Switzerland 60 2.3 Germany 36 2.16 Austria 62 2.4 France 38 2.17 Hungary 64 2.5 Italy 40 2.18 Czech Republic 66 2.6 Spain 42 2.19 Poland 68 2.7 Portugal 44 2.20 Greece 70 2.8 Ireland 46 2.21 Turkey 72 2.9 Norway 48 2.22 South Korea 74 2.10 Sweden 50 2.23 Japan 76 2.11 Finland 52 2.24 Australia 78 2.12 Denmark 54 2.25 Canada 80
2.13 Belgium 56 2.26 Brazil 82
Section 3 Further Analysis and International Comparison 84 3.1 Sources of News 86 3.2 Segmentations across and within Countries 87 3.3 Comparative Brand Data Analysis 89 3.4 How Audiences Discover News Online 92 3.5 Public Service Broadcasters 93 3.6 Trust in the News in More Depth 94 3.7 Distinctions Between Hard and Soft News 96 3.8 Participation and Online News 99 3.9 Paying for Online News 103
Section 4 Essays 106 4.1 The Challenging New Economics of Journalism 108 Mark Thompson, CEO, New York Times 4.2 Why Trust Matters 110 Ed Williams, CEO, Edelman UK & Ireland 4.3 People Want Personalised Recommendations (Even as they Worry about the Consequences) 112 Rasmus Kleis Neilsen, Director of Research, Reuters Institute 4.4 The Topography of Trust: Views from UK News Consumers 115 Alison Preston, Head of Digital Literacy, Ofcom Postscript and Further Reading 118 4 / 5
FOREWORD
Dr David A. L. Levy Director, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ)
This is our fifth annual report that explores the changing Bredow Institute in Hamburg, Roskilde University in Denmark, environment around news across countries. The report is The University of Tampere in Finland, and the School of based on a survey of more than 50,000 people in 26 countries, Communication at the University of Navarra in Spain. which makes it the largest ongoing comparative study of news consumption in the world and twice as big as last year. A key Many of our partners are also organising events or country focus is in Europe where we have done the bulk of our reports looking in more detail at national themes and adding polling – but we are delighted to have added Canada and wider value to this international project. South Korea this year to the United States, Australia, Brazil, We continue to make efforts to open up as much of the data and Japan, which have been part of our survey for some time. as possible via our website at (www.digitalnewsreport.org). This year’s report comes against the backdrop of renewed This contains slidepacks, charts and raw data tables, along concerns about the future of the news industry, the move with a licence that encourages reuse, subject to attribution to mobile, the rise of ad-blocking and the role of technical to the Reuters Institute. Also this year, we have updated platforms and other intermediaries. We have data on many our interactive feature, which allows anyone to explore and of these issues and find compelling evidence about the visualise the data by themselves by country and over time. move to distributed content and the growing importance We hope that all of this will continue to build into an of social media as a source of news. Also this year we’ve invaluable resource for academics, media owners, looked to understand how branded news is found, consumed journalists and those developing policy. A description of and shared in a more distributed news world with the help the methodology is available on the website along with of some additional focus groups in the UK, US, Germany and the complete questionnaire. Spain. We reference this research throughout the report and we’ll be publishing a full account of these sessions on our Making all this possible, we are hugely grateful to our website later in 2016. sponsors this year: Google, the BBC, Ofcom, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BIA), the Media Industry Once again we have combined the key data points with a Research Foundation of Finland, the Fritt Ord Foundation in series of essays, which add depth and context to the findings. Norway, the Korea Press Foundation, Edelman UK, as well New York Times CEO Mark Thompson reflects on the business as our academic sponsors at the Hans Bredow Institute, the challenges, while Edelman UK CEO Ed Williams explores the University of Navarra, the University of Canberra and the importance of trust and the role of brands based on their Centre d’études sur les médias, Université Laval in Canada. ground-breaking work on these issues with the Edelman Trust Barometer. RISJ Director of Research, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen We are also grateful to YouGov, our polling company, who explores our attitudes to algorithms in serving up relevant did everything possible to accommodate our complex news stories and Ofcom’s Alison Preston has been exploring requirements and helped our research team analyse and how young and older groups in the UK navigate issues contextualise the data. like trust and credibility in a more fragmented and complex news ecosystem. I am particularly grateful to Nic Newman for his great work in leading our most ambitious Digital News Report to date In terms of academic partnerships, we are joined this year and for surfacing such a rich analysis from a mass of data, by the Centre d’études sur les médias, Université Laval, to Richard Fletcher for all his work on the report, the data in Québec City, Canada. Our active research community analysis and the country profiles, and to Alex Reid for so includes the News and Media Research Centre at Canberra ably managing the process of moving from manuscript University in Australia, Dublin City University, Ireland, the Hans to publication. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 6
METHODOLOGY
This study has been commissioned by the Reuters Institute • A number of face-to-face focus groups were held in the US, for the Study of Journalism to understand how news is being UK, Germany and Spain to explore issues relating to news consumed in a range of countries. Research was conducted by consumption and the question of trust. YouGov using an online questionnaire at the end of January/ beginning of February 2016. Our survey was conducted online and as such the results will under-represent the consumption habits of people who are • The data were weighted to targets based on census/industry not online (typically older, less affluent, and with limited formal accepted data, such as age, gender and region, to represent education). Where relevant, we have tried to make this clear the total population of each country. The sample is reflective within the text. The main purpose, however, is to track the of the population that has access to the internet. activities and changes over time within the digital space – as REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM • As this survey deals with news consumption, we filtered out well as gaining understanding about how offline media and slideanyone 2who said that they had not consumed any news in online media are used together. A fuller description of the the past month, in order to ensure that irrelevant responses methodology and a discussion of non-probability sampling didn’t adversely affect data quality. This category averaged techniques can be found on our website. 3.5% but was as high as 13% in Canada. Along with country-based figures, throughout the report • A comprehensive online questionnaire was designed to we also use aggregate figures based on responses from all capture all aspects of news consumption. respondents across all the countries covered. These figures are meant only to indicate overall tendencies and should be treated with caution.
METHODOLOGY
COUNTRY FINAL SAMPLE TOTAL INTERNET COUNTRY FINAL SAMPLE TOTAL INTERNET SIZE POPULATION PENETRATION SIZE POPULATION PENETRATION
USA 2,197 321,368,864 87% Netherlands 2,006 16,900,726 96%
UK 2,024 64,767,115 92% Switzerland 2,004 8,236,573 87%
Germany 2,035 81,174,000 88% Austria 2,000 8,584,926 83%
France 2,162 66,132,169 84% Hungary 2,056 9,849,000 76%
Italy 2,195 60,795,612 62% Czech Republic 2,014 10,538,275 80%
Spain 2,104 46,439,864 77% Poland 2,000 38,005,614 68%
Portugal 2,018 10,374,822 68% Greece 2,036 10,812,467 63%
Ireland 2,003 4,625,885 83% Turkey 2,157 77,695,904 60%
Norway 2,019 5,165,802 96% South Korea 2,147 49,115,196 92%
Sweden 2,030 9,747,355 95% Japan 2,011 126,919,659 91%
Finland 2,041 5,471,753 94% Australia 2,021 22,751,014 93%
Denmark 2,020 5,659,715 96% Canada 2,011 35,675,834 95%
Belgium 2,018 11,258,434 85% Brazil 2,001 204,259,812 58%
Please note that in both Brazil and Turkey our samples are representative of urban rather than national populations and as such the internet penetration is likely to be higher than stated above, which must be taken into consideration when interpreting results. Source: Internet World Stats www.internetworldstats.com internet population estimate 2015 6 / 7
AUTHORSHIP AND RESEARCH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dr David A. L. Levy is Director of the Reuters Dr Rasmus Kleis Nielsen is Director of Institute for the Study of Journalism and an Research at the Reuters Institute for the expert in media policy and regulation. He Study of Journalism and Editor in Chief of the previously worked at the BBC both as a news International Journal of Press/Politics. His work and current affairs producer, reporter, and focuses on changes in the news media, political editor, and later as Controller Public Policy. He is the author of communication, and the role of digital technologies in both. Europe’s Digital Revolution: Broadcasting Regulation, the EU He has done extensive research on journalism, American and the Nation State (Routledge, 1999/2001), and joint author politics, and various forms of activism, and a significant amount or editor of several RISJ publications. of comparative work in Western Europe and beyond. Recent books include The Changing Business of Journalism and Nic Newman is a journalist and digital strategist its Implications for Democracy (2010, edited with David A. L. who played a key role in shaping the BBC’s Levy), Ground Wars: Personalized Communication in Political internet services over more than a decade. Campaigns (2012), and Political Journalism in Transition: He was a founding member of the BBC News Western Europe in a Comparative Perspective (2014, edited Website, leading international coverage as World with Raymond Kuhn). Editor (1997–2001). As Head of Product Development he led digital teams, developing websites, mobile, and interactive Country-level commentary and additional insight around TV applications for all BBC Journalism sites. Nic is currently media developments has been provided by academic partners a Research Associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of and by our network of Reuters Journalist Fellows around the Journalism. He is also a consultant on digital media, working world.1 Authorship is referenced at the bottom of the respective actively with news companies on product, audience, and country page in section 2. business strategies for digital transition. Additional expert analysis and interpretation of the survey Dr Richard Fletcher is a Research Fellow at the data were provided by the team at YouGov, in particular Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Charlotte Clifford, Paul Marshall, David Eastbury, Ema Globyte, He is primarily interested in global trends in Stephanie Frost, and Ash Strange. digital news consumption. In 2015 he authored a supplementary Digital News Report (published by RISJ) on digital news consumption in Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Portugal, and Turkey. Richard’s original undergraduate and employment background was in computer science. Since then he has completed an MSc in Science, Medicine, Technology and Society from Imperial College London and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Surrey.
1 Reuters Institute Fellowships offer an opportunity to mid-career journalists to spend time researching an aspect of journalism for one or more terms at the Institute in Oxford. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 8
OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS
Nic Newman Research Associate, Reuters Institute
This year we have evidence of the growth of Across our 26 countries, we see a common picture of job distributed (offsite) news consumption, a sharpening losses, cost-cutting, and missed targets as falling print revenues move to mobile and we can reveal the full extent combine with the brutal economics of digital in a perfect storm. Almost everywhere we see the further adoption of online of ad-blocking worldwide. These three trends in platforms and devices for news – largely as a supplement to combination are putting further severe pressure on broadcast but often at the expense of print. the business models of both traditional publishers and new digital-born players – as well as changing the way in which news is packaged and distributed.
SOME OF THE KEY FINDINGS • Most consumers are still reluctant to pay for general news • Across our entire sample, half (51%) say they use social online, particularly in the highly competitive English-speaking media as a source of news each week. Around one in ten world (9% average), but in some smaller countries, protected (12%) say it is their main source. Facebook is by far the by language, people are twice as likely to pay. most important network for finding, reading/watching, • Business problems for many publishers have worsened and sharing news. with the rise of ad-blocking, which is running at between • Social media are significantly more important for women 10% (Japan) and 38% (Poland) but much higher amongst (who are also less likely to go directly to a news website or under-35s and people who use news the most. The vast app) and for the young. More than a quarter of 18–24s say majority of those who have ever downloaded a blocker are social media (28%) are their main source of news – more using them regularly, suggesting that once downloaded than television (24%) for the first time. people rarely go back.
• The growth of news accessed and increasingly consumed • Only around 8% of smartphone users currently use an via social networks, portals and mobile apps means that the ad-blocker but around a third of respondents say they plan to originating news brand gets clearly noticed less than half the install one on their mobile in the next year. time in the UK, and Canada. In countries like Japan and South • Although publishers and technology platforms are pushing Korea, where aggregated and distributed news is already online news video hard for commercial reasons, we find more widespread, the brand only gets noticed around a evidence that most consumers are still resistant. Three- quarter of the time when accessed through news portals. quarters of respondents (78%) say they still mostly rely on • Television news still remains most important for older groups text. When pressed, the main reasons people give for not but overall usage has continued to decline, particularly for using more video are that they find reading news quicker ‘appointment to view’ bulletins and amongst younger groups. and more convenient (41%) and the annoyance of pre-roll advertisements (35%) • In terms of devices, smartphone usage for news is sharply up, reaching half of our global sample (53%), while computer • Trust in news is highest in Finland (65%) and lowest in use is falling and tablet growth is flattening out. Greece (20%). Almost everywhere, editors and journalists are trusted less than news organisations. OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 8 / 9
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM • We find strong concerns that personalised news and more • Media companies that have nailed their colours to a algorithmic selection of news will mean missing out on slidedistributed 3slide 3 future like BuzzFeed are gaining ground in terms important information or challenging viewpoints. Having said of reach. But these new brands and platforms are mostly that, we find that young people are more comfortable with used as secondary sources and for softer news subjects. algorithms than with editors. Main usage online remains with brands that have a strong news heritage and have been able to build up a reputation over time.
RISE OF DISTRIBUTED NEWS SOURCES OF NEWS 2012–16: We now have five years of data looking at the sources people TV, ONLINE AND PRINT + SOCIAL MEDIA
use for news. In most countries we see a consistent pattern 100%100% TV TV with television news and online news the most frequently Online Online accessed, while readership of printed newspapers has Printed Printed 75% Newspaper declined significantly. 75% Newspaper Social Social 50% But the biggest change in digital media has been the growth 50% 46% use of news accessed via social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, social media for news. Instagram, and Snapchat. In the United States, to take one 25%REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 25% example, the percentage of people saying they use social slide 4 media as a source of news has risen to 46% of our sample – 0% almost doubling since 2013. 0% 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 We see the same trends elsewhere; our weighted EU average2
also shows 46% using social media for news – even if some Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of countries like the UK (35%) and Germany (31%) have moved news? Base: Total sample 2012-2016. Note: 2014 data has been estimated because less far in this direction. High adoption in countries like Greece, of an issue with randomisation of news sources in the questionnaire Brazil and Turkey means that usage across all 26 countries averages 51%. SOCIAL MEDIA AS A NEWS SOURCE But this is not just about access to news via social media, (SELECTED COUNTRIES) our data suggest that an increasing proportion are coming to depend on it for direct consumption. News has become a more important part of the Facebook mix over the last year. GRE 74% POR 66% POL 58% Algorithms have prioritised breaking news, news-related TUR 73% HUN 64% SWE 56% videos, live streams, and other visual content, while publishers have been stepping up their efforts to publish native formats. BRA 72% SPA 60% DEN 56% Since mid-2015 they have been able to publish full ‘instant articles’ within Facebook’s walled garden itself.3 Our focus group research for this year’s Digital News Report shows that, Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? as news now comes to people through social media feeds, Base: Total sample in each country there can be less need to go directly to a news website:
The stories that come through are usually the Taken together, these changes may be contributing to the breaking stories that I would otherwise have increase we see in our data around social media as a source to go to NewYorkTimes.com. Now I don’t.” of news. Within the EU (10%) and the United States (14%), at “ least one in ten now say social media are their MAIN source (35–54 year old, US Focus Group) of news, with even higher figures in Australia (18%) and Greece (27%) (see chart overleaf).
A lot of the breaking news I find through Facebook or Twitter now. It’s really crazy. “ Like when David Bowie died.” (35–54 year old, US Focus Group)
2 Average figures are weighted by population of the 17 EU countries we surveyed. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. This accounts for 91% of the total EU population. 3 Facebook launched Instant Articles in May 2015 with a limited set of content. The format has now been opened to all publishers. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 5
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 10
20% GREECE: say social media is MAIN GROWTH OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MAIN 27% 2016 source of news. More than18 TV (21%) 2015 15% SOURCE OF NEWS (SELECTED COUNTRIES) 16 and Print15 (3%) 15 combined. 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 10% 20% 11 11 11 10 10 10 2016 9 9 8 8 8 18 18 7 7 5% 15%6 6 6 6 6 16 2015 55 5 5 15 14 3 13 13 0% 12 12 12 12 10% 11 11 11 FIN GER JPN UK NLD CZE FRA AUT ITA DEN SPA10 10POL USA TUR IRE POR BRA 10 9 9 8 8 8 7 7 5% 6 6 6 6 REUTERS6 INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 5 5 5 5 3 slide 7 0% FIN GER JPN UK NLD CZE FRA AUT ITA DEN SPA POL USA IRE POR AUS BRA
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news. Base: All in 2015/2016 who used a source of news in the last week: (between around 1500 and 2000 in each country)
We also see significant generational and gender differences. WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA We find that women are much more likely to use social media (ESP. FACEBOOK) TO DISCOVER NEWS to find news and less likely to go directly to a website or app. (ALL COUNTRIES) Social media – and Facebook in particular – are the only discovery mechanism that appeal more to women than men (see chart opposite). 50% Male MALE FEMALE 40% Female These changes, of course, need to be set in context of wider 42 Email 38 17% 16% news consumption. Social media is just one way of accessing 30% 34 Mobile alert 11% 10% online news – the vast majority of which still ends up being 20% 29 REUTERSconsumed INSTITUTE on a news FOR THE website. STUDY OFIn additionJOURNALISM to online access, Search 40% 38% 10% most consumers also continue to access news via TV, radio, slide 8 Aggregator 13% 10% or print (see chart below) but the extent of this is significantly 0% Direct to Came across news affected by age. For every group under 45, online news is now website or app via social media more important than television news. For 18–24s social media (28%) comes out ahead of TV (24%) for the first time with print lagging behind at just 6%. Q10. Thinking about how you got news online (via computer, mobile or any device) in the last week, which were the ways in which you came across news stories? Base: Total sample/Male/Female: All countries = 53330/26098/27232
MAIN NEWS SOURCES SPLIT BY AGE (ALL 26 COUNTRIES)
YOUNGER OLDER 80% 80% 55+ 55+ 45-54 64 45-54 60% 60% 64 57 35-44 57 53 35-44 47 46 53 40% 47 More 18–24s say they prefer 46 25-34 40%36 social media to TV News. 37 25-34 28 36 29 37 18-24 25 20% 28 24 29 18-24 20% 17 25 24 12 5 5 12 8 176 7 8 8 6 6 7 8 0% 12 5 5 12 Online Social Media Radio 8 6Print7 8 8 6 TV6 7 8 (incl. social 0%media) Online Social Media Radio Print TV (incl. social media)
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All 18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45-54s/55+ who have used a news source in the last week: All countries = 5598/9187/9686/9383/18371 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 9
OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 10 11/
These fi ndings about age and gender have signifi cant implications TOP SOCIAL67 NETWORKS (ALL COUNTRIES) – Facebook for many news organisations as they rethink their distribution FOR 44NEWS AND ANY PURPOSE 57 strategies and agendas in order to engage active users onsite,YouTube at 19 the same time as less engaged users in social media. Use for any purpose 27 67 WhatsApp Facebook 8 44 Use for news For more analysis see sections 3.1: Sources of News, p. 86 19 57 Twitter YouTube and 3.7: Distinctions between Hard and Soft News, p. 96. 10 19 18 Use for any purpose Instagram 27 3 WhatsApp 8 IT’S DIFFERENT IN ASIA Use for news 14 LinkedIn 19 (USE FOR NEWS) 3 Twitter SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR NEWS 10 11 Google+ KOREA In terms of the key social networks for news, we have seen 5 18 Instagram 9 3 little signifi cant change since last year with Facebook Pinterest Facebook 24% 1 maintaining its dominant position. Across our sample 44% say 14 7 LinkedIn Snapchat 3 Kakao Talk 22% they use Facebook for news, which in turn represents two- 1 11 thirds of all Facebook users. YouTube is also a key network 6 Google+ YouTube 16% Viber 5 (19%) while Twitter remains an important social network for 1 4 9 Tumblr Pinterest Kakao Story 9% news (10%) favoured by journalists, politicians, and heavy news1 1 3 users in particular. Instagram continues to grow fast, alongReddit with 7 1 Snapchat WhatsApp in some countries. 1 JAPAN 3 Line 6 1 Viber YouTube 26% 1 Facebook is the largest network in every country we have 0% 40% 80% 4 surveyed – with the exception of Japan. This is partly because Tumblr Facebook 16% Japanese prefer networks that allow anonymity, but there are 1 REUTERS INSTITUTE3 FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISMTwitter 16% also several popular home-grown networks such as Line and Reddit 1 Mixi. In South Korea too, where we have conducted polling Line 13% slide 103 Line for the fi rst time this year, popular messaging apps Kakao Talk 1 (22%) and Kakao Story (9%) are giving Facebook (24%) and 0% 40% 80% Instagram (4%) a run for their money in the news arena.
With the exception of WhatsApp and Kakao Talk in Korea, Q12a/b. Which, if any, of the following have you used for any purpose/for reading, one surprise is the low levels of news usage for messaging watching, sharing, or discussing news in the last week? Base: Total sample in each country applications. Although Snapchat is one of the fastest growing new networks, only around 1% in most countries say they use it for news. For the fi rst time we asked specifi cally about usage of Snapchat Discover (see right), a poster child for distributed content which was launched at the beginning of 2015 in the WEEKLY REACH FOR SNAPCHAT DISCOVER UK and US as a showcase for branded news content from publishers like Cosmopolitan, Mail Online, and National Geographic. In our data we fi nd that it reaches 12% of 18–24s USA UK
of our US sample but so far only 1% in the United Kingdom. All 2% 0%
For more social network data see country pages in 18–24 12% 1% section 2, p. 30
SHARING OF NEWS Social networks are not just important for discovery, they also encourage discussing and sharing the news. Around a quarter BuzzFeed say more than 20% of Cosmopolitan generates of internet news users (24%) share news via social media during its total traffic comes from Discover4 3m views each day the average week; these are people who tend to be passionate about subjects like politics, business, technology, or the environment. The super sharers tend to be heavy news users, Q10c. When using the internet for news, have you used any of the following sites or often using multiple devices and a signifi cant proportion use mobile apps that aggregate different news links in the last week?Base: Total sample the smartphone as a main device. in each country
Most people share predominantly news of which they approve (Finland, Australia, and the United States) which in turn may be aff ecting the amount of positive news stories that people get exposed to. By contrast, sharers in the UK tend to be more combative – or perhaps more cynical – and are comparatively more likely to share things they don’t like.
4 For more analysis see section 3.8: Participation and Buzzfeed fi gures via Jonah Peretti recode interview, Cosmopolitan via Digiday: http://recode.net/2015/09/16/this-week-on-recode-decode-ceo-jonah-peretti- Online News, p. 99. explains-how-buzzfeed-won-the-internet/ REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 12
THE ROLE OF NEWS AGGREGATORS Google News remains an important aggregator, reaching 24% in While Facebook has been the main focus for distributed Portugal and 20% in Poland but only 4% in the United Kingdom. content over the past year, especially in the US and Europe, In the Czech Republic, local search engine Seznam has links it is worth pointing out that platform-based aggregators to news sources on its homepage with a reach of 74%. We also already play a dominant role in many countries in our study – fi nd strong mobile and web news aggregators in the Nordic especially in parts of Asia and continental Europe. region with Ampparit in Finland (11%), Sol (14%) and Startsiden (18%) in Norway, and Omni in Sweden (10%). Meanwhile popular The most popular news destination in Korea is Naver (66% aggregators in Italy include Giornali (17%) and Rassegna Stampa weekly reach), an aggregator and full service portal which Quotidiani (11%) and in Spain Menéame (3%). includes video, games and email. It is a similar story in Japan where Yahoo (59% weekly reach) aggregates news from For more analysis see section 3.3: Comparative Brand Data multiple publishers across web and mobile. These portals are Analysis, p. 89. also the MAIN source of news for a large proportion of the population in these countries and in many cases publishers are paid carriage fees for their content. REASONS FOR USING NEWS AGGREGATORS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS In Portugal, much of the news media publish content through We have both survey and focus group evidence this year about the SAPO platform, which is where signifi cant numbers whyREUTERS many INSTITUTE people FOR are THE turning STUDY to OF social JOURNALISM networks and news fi nd, read, and share their stories and videos. In Poland, aggregators for online news. From our survey data, the key the two biggest news destinations, Onet and WP, are also reasonsslide given 12 relate to both speed of update and convenience well-established and well-funded portals which are now in bringing multiple sources into one place. Respondents feel branching out to produce more of their own content including that aggregators do a better job of providing quick and easy video news programmes online. access to a variety of news sources, but prefer social networks for interactivity. For more see section 2: Korea, Japan, Portugal and Poland country pages.
In some countries we have also seen the arrival of new mobile aggregators such as Apple News, which launched in the WHY PEOPLE USE SOCIAL MEDIA/AGGREGATORS US, UK, and Australia in 2015. This provides a personalised FOR NEWS (GERMANY, USA AND UK DATA) interface for multiple branded news sources and provides REUTERSnew competition INSTITUTE FORfor existingTHE STUDY mobile OF JOURNALISM apps such as Flipboard, News Alerts and 56 SmartNews, and Nuzzel. Tracking usage of these apps is a Aggregators slide 11 Breaking news 60 diffi cult area to explore because of the diffi culty of categorising Social Networks diff erent types of services (apps, websites, social channels) Simple way to 57 and then communicating this complexity to survey respondents. access variety of news sources 50 But at a headline level it is clear that most are still confi ned to early adopters and do not yet have anything like the impact of Easy to comment 21 either Facebook or fi rst-wave portals. and share news 35
Gives me a sense 12 of what news my News friends care Alertsabout and 23 56 Aggregators Breaking news 60 NEW MOBILE AGGREGATORS Social (SELECTED COUNTRIES) Learns about 26 Networks preferencesSimple way so to 57 access variety of 16 brings relevantnews news sources 50 AUSTRALIA UK 0% 30% 60% Easy to comment 21 Apple News 3% Apple News 4% and share news 35
Flipboard 3% Flipboard 4% Q10bi/ci. GivesYou said me a earlier sense that you12 use social media/news aggregators as a source of news. Whatof arewhat some news myof the reasons for this? Base: All that used social media/news friends care about 23 Smart News 1% Smartnews 2% aggregators in the last week: US + UK + Germany = 2334/1011 Learns about 26 preferences so 16 USA brings relevant news 0% 30% 60% When using the internet for news, Apple News 4% Q10c. have you used any of the following sites Flipboard 4% or mobile apps that aggregate different news links in the last week? Base: Total Smart News 1% sample in each country OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 12 / 13
I use a news aggregator called Menéame... One way to interpret this is that, in the end, people think they with stories ranging from the BBC to are the best judge of what they want. Professionals are the next El Confidencial. The stories which the users best, and inexpert friends come last. In our focus group work, “ it was clear that many active internet users now see themselves consider to be the most interesting are the as editors – balancing and comparing multiple sources, multiple ones which make the headlines.” editorial judgements, and even multiple algorithms. (35–54 year old, Spain Focus Group)
You’ve got to read a few sources to really I usually go through Apple News. It gets a come up with a true story of things I think. variety of things, like I’m interested in certain “ I mean if you want to double check that what “ topics that I probably wouldn’t find or I’d have you’re reading is true.” to search for it myself so it’s like a one stop (18–34 year old, US Focus Group) shop of things that interest me.” (18–34 year old, US Focus Group) With social media you are your own editor.” (18–34 year old, UK Focus Group) ALGORITHMS VS EDITORS “REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM Both social media and personalised news applications are changing the nature of story selection. The choice of whether Respondentsslide 14 everywhere expressed some concerns about the a story appears in an alert, a feed or aggregated homepage is possible negative impact of algorithms, with Norwegians and sometimes decided by an editor but increasingly by computer British amongst those who most fear that key information or algorithms that take into account factors that might include challenging viewpoints might be lost in an algorithmically- (1) recency and popularity, (2) what you’ve read before, and driven filter bubble. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide(3) what your 13 friends have been reading or sharing. This year, we wanted to understand more about how people viewed the idea of algorithms in general, but also what type of recommendations were more valued. The results were, on the surface, a little surprising, with algorithms that take I AM WORRIED ABOUT PERSONALISED NEWS IF IT MEANS... account of what you’ve read before coming out ahead of editorial selection. 68 65 I might miss 60 key information 56 Norway 45 UK I AM HAPPY FOR NEWS TO BE SELECTED FOR 42 USA ME BASED ON... EU Weighted Average 67 Japan 61 I might miss Korea 59 challenging 53 viewpoints 68 46 65 38 I might miss 60 56 Norway key information 54 45 49 UK 36% 30% 22% My privacy 42 49 USA is aected 46 EU Weighted Average Automatically Judgement Automatically based 67 44 Japan 61 based on what I’ve of editors on what my friendsI might miss 45 Korea 59 challenging read before or journalists have consumed 0% 35%53 70% viewpoints 46 38
Q10D_2016a_1/2/3: Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: Q10D_2016b_1. Indicate your level 54of agreement with the following statements: Having stories selected for me by editors and journalists is a good way to get news/ I worry that more personalised news49 may mean that I miss out on important Having stories automatically selected for me on the basis of what I have consumed My privacyinformation/I worry that more personalised49 news may mean that I miss out on in the past is a good way to get news/Having stories automatically selected for me is aectedchallenging viewpoints/I worry that46 more personalised news may mean that my on the basis of what my friends have consumed is a good way to get news. Base: privacy is placed at greater risk.44 Base: Total sample in each country Total sample 45 0% 35% 70% REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 14
All age groups were equally concerned about these A key related concern is the extent to which news brands are developments though it is important to note the multi-platform even noticed in distributed environments. This will be critical to nature of most modern news usage. Taking the UK as an whether publishers can capitalise on the reach and exposure example, two-thirds (66%) of social media users also watch TV that these platforms afford. news in a given week and almost a third (29%) read a printed newspaper. More than half of those using news aggregators In this regard, our data suggest a mixed picture with relatively (58%) also watch TV news in a given week with a third (34%) strong brand recognition in countries like Finland (60%) and reading a printed newspaper. Germany (55%), while only around a third say they notice the brand in social networks (most or all of the time) in highly Looking at news consumption in this holistic way, it is clear that competitive English-speaking markets such as the UK, Australia, editors still play a considerable role in shaping agendas directly and Ireland. and influencing the stories that emerge in social networks and other aggregators. Consumers in some countries say they are even less likely to notice a specific brand when accessing news via an aggregator. For more see essay 4.3: Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, ‘People Want In Korea and Japan, where aggregated news sites are the Personalised Recommendations (Even as they Worry about norm, only around a quarter say they always or mostly the Consequences)’, p. 112. notice the brand.
These data suggest that, if the rest of the world becomes more IMPLICATIONSREUTERS INSTITUTE FOR OF THE DISTRIBUTEDSTUDY OF JOURNALISM CONTENT FOR like Japan and Korea with aggregated news playing a bigger MEDIA BRANDS role, news brands may increasingly struggle to gain recognition slide 15 and much of the credit may be inherited by the platform. The growth of distributed content and a consequent increase in algorithmic story selection is one of the hottest topics of media discussion. Academic and media commentator Emily Bell has argued that (a) publishers are losing control of distribution and (b) there is an opaqueness and unpredictability about these algorithms controlled by tech companies and driven by commercial motivations.5
PERCENTAGE WHO NOTICE NEWS BRANDS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA/AGGREGATORS
60% 60% Social media ALSO... Social media 55 55 48% 52 52 Aggregators 49 48%50 52 52 Finland Aggregators 46 49 50 60% 46 40 36% 38 36 37 40 Australia 36% 36% 35 38 37 36 35 24% 26 24 Ireland 33% 24% 23 26 24 23 12% 12% Almost/mostly notice the 0% brand in social media GER USA DEN UK CAN JPN KOR 0% GER USA DEN UK CAN JPN KOR
Q10b/cii_2016. Thinking about when you have used social media/aggregators for news, typically how often do you notice the news brand that has supplied the content? Note: Notice = % who always or mostly notice the brand. Base: All who used social media/aggregators as a source of news in the last week: Germany = 616/292, Denmark = 1126/150, US = 1018/478, Canada = 947/741, Japan = 552/936, UK = 693/241, Korea = 700/828
5 ‘Facebook is eating the world’: http://www.cjr.org/analysis/facebook_and_media.php OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 14 / 15
Across our entire sample over half (53%) now say they use a DEVICESREUTERS INSTITUTE FOR FOR NEWS THE STUDY AND OF JOURNALISMTHE RISE OF MOBILE We continue to see rapid adoption of smartphones for news in smartphone to access news, with some of the highest levels allslide the main 16 countries we have been monitoring since 2013 in three of our new countries, Sweden (69%), Korea (66%), and (see next chart). By contrast, computer usage is falling and Switzerland (61%). In all these cases usage is now higher than growth in tablet usage has slowed – falling back in countries from computers or laptops. Investment in infrastructure and like the UK and Japan. low data charges have helped some countries get ahead – for example in the Nordic region – while others like Belgium (39%), Canada (39%), Germany (40%), and the Czech Republic (40%) are lagging some way behind.
GROWTH OF SMARTPHONE FOR NEWS 2013–16 ALSO... (SELECTED COUNTRIES) Sweden 69% 60% 60% USA USA Korea 66% 50% UK 50% UK Norway 64% 40% Germany 40% Germany 30% France Switzerland 61% 30% France 20% Japan Denmark 60% Japan 20% 10% Ireland 59% 10% 0% 2013 2014 2015 2016 Finland 59% 0% 2013 2014 2015 2016 Spain 58%
Q8b. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week? Base: Total 2013-2016 sample in each country
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slideTaking the 17 UK as an example, we can see how usage has In terms of demographics, we see the same pattern of usage changed over the last five years. In terms of main device, the across countries. Younger groups show a strong preference mobile/tablet now outstrips the computer. We have reached the for the smartphone while older groups are more comfortable mobile tipping point with a publisher like the BBC reporting that with tablets and computers (see chart at top of next page). For around 70% of traffic now comes from mobile devices. some the tablet – with its larger screen size – is replacing the computer as a more flexible shared device in the home, while the personal nature of the smartphone is both extending usage in the home and providing ubiquitous access on the move.
CHANGING DEVICE USE IN UK 2012–16 CHANGING DEVICE USE IN UK 2012–16 – WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE – RISE OF MOBILE (MAIN SOURCE)
100% 100% Tablet Computer
80% 80%Smartphone Mobile Computer Tablet Smartphone Computer Mobile Computer 60% 60%
40% 40%
20% 20%
0% 0% 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016
Q8b. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week? Base: Total 2012-2016 sample. QUK8b6_5. You’ve said you use the following devices to access news in the last week, which is your MAIN way of accessing online news? Base: All in 2013-2016 who used a digital device to access news in the last week: UK = 1638/1598/1795/1691 Note: Mobile refers to combined figures for tablet and smartphone REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 18
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 16
MAIN DEVICES FOR NEWS SPLIT BY AGE (UK ONLY)
80%80%80% 55+55+55+
45-5445-5445-54 60%60%60% 80% 575757 545454 55+ 35-4435-4435-44 51 51 51 51 51 51 40%40%40% 454545 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE25-34 STUDY25-3425-34 OF JOURNALISM 45-54 You’ve said you use the following 60% QUK8b6_5. 353536353636 devices to access news in the last week, which is 33333357 18-2418-2418-24 54 slide 1935-44 your MAIN way of accessing online news? Base: 51 272727 51 20%20%20% 252525 All 18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45-54s/55+ who used a 45 40% 16 16181618 18 25-34 digital device to access news in the last week: UK = 12 12 12 1010 109 9 9 35 36 196/176/254/335/730 33 18-24 0%0%0% 27 20% 25SmartphoneSmartphoneSmartphone TabletTabletTablet ComputerComputerComputer 16 18 12 10 9 0% Smartphone Tablet Computer
SMARTPHONES ENCOURAGE MORE FREQUENT FREQUENCY INCREASES WITH DEVICE USE ACCESS AND GREATER SOCIAL SHARING (AVERAGE OF ALL COUNTRIES) – % ACCESSING Across our sample we find that heavy smartphone users tend NEWS SEVERAL TIMES/DAY to access the news more frequently than people who mainly use computers or tablets. Almost a fifth (19%) of those who ONE DEVICE TWO DEVICES THREE DEVICES use the smartphone as a MAIN device say they access news more than five times a day. We also find that people who use REUTERS51% INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY63% OF JOURNALISM 71% multiple devices are also much more likely to access news more frequently. To some extent this is because this group is slide 20 more interested in news but it also the case that every year we see more people using multiple devices. This year almost half (47%) of our entire sample use two or more devices for news each week. Q1b_rc. Typically, how often do you access news? Q8b. Which of any, of the following We also have evidence that the move to smartphone goes devices have you used to access news in the last week? Base: Total sample hand-in-hand with the move to distributed content. When we ask people about the MAIN way in which they come across news stories we see that people use social media more on the smartphone, whilst they are less likely to use a MAIN PATHWAYS TO NEWS BY DEVICE (ALL COUNTRIES) branded entry such as a website or app (see chart right). This is true even if we take account of the fact that smartphone 80% users tend to be younger and tend to use social media more. LESS Smartphone MORE Tablet 60% This data helps explain why BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti argues Computer that mobile is a much better platform for social content than 40% 48 49 desktop ever was.6 He says that BuzzFeed is targeting the 41 ‘bored on the sofa network’ in the evenings as much as people 20% 28 22 21 who are looking for news and entertainment during the day. In our data, BuzzFeed is up around 5 percentage points in the 0% Branded entry Social entry UK and a similar amount in the United States. Around 75% of its traffic comes from social media – a point reinforced by our focus group respondents who told us that they rarely set Q10a/b/c. Thinking about how you get online news using your computer/ smartphone/tablet, which is the MAIN way in which you come across news stories? out to visit the site directly. Base: All using multiple online sources for news and use a computer/smartphone/ tablet for news: All countries = 16423/14242/6438
BuzzFeed comes onto my Facebook. I actually I only ever find myself there. I’ve never gone got it from my daughter.” to the BuzzFeed website.” “ (35–54 year old, UK Focus Group) “ (20–34 year old, US Focus Group)
6 Jonah Peretti interview with the Financial Times, Mar. 2016: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4f661ea8-e782-11e5-a09b-1f8b0d268c39.html#ixzz43Xmxszfc OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 16 / 17
THE ROLE OF DESTINATION AND THE POWER This year our data shows that app users are much more OF APPS interested in news than the average web user. They are also REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM Although newer brands make much of their prowess in better educated and more likely to have paid for online news, distributedslide 21news, it is interesting to note that brands like perhaps not surprising given that many apps are only usable in Buzzfeed have started to invest more in apps over the last conjunction with a subscription. Effectively these are the heavy year as a destination for loyal users7 – and perhaps also users and core loyalists that all news organisations – new and to protect themselves from an overdependence on the old – need to engage with in order to help fund their journalism algorithms of Facebook and other platform providers. while reaching out to less committed users via social media. A few well-established media brands continue to attract most of their traffic directly with apps, an increasingly important part of a destination strategy.
% USING A NEWS APP ON SMARTPHONE OR TABLET (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
30% 30% Japan Japan 25% Spain 25% Spain Q11. Thinking of the way you 20% Germany APP USERS ARE... looked at news online (via 20% Germany any device) in the last week, 15% UK • More interested in news which of the following ways 15% • UKHave higher levels of income of consuming news did you 10% USA • More likely to be male use? Base: Total 2014-16 10% USA sample in each country. Note: 5% • A bit older Figures based on combined 5% • 50% more likely to pay smartphone and tablet news 0% for online news app use 2014 2015 2016 0% 2014 2015 2016
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM Another key reason for investing in apps is toslide enable content 22 service called Notify in the US to aggregate and simplify the to be pushed to smartphone and tablet users. Alerts and notification process. notifications are becoming a key weapon for publishers in the battle to attract attention and to bring audiences back more The management of relevant notifications informed by data regularly to a particular brand. Our data show strong increases is becoming an important new discipline in newsrooms with in mobile alerts in Spain (+3) and Austria (+5) this year and a the New York Times amongst publishers setting up a specific 8 stabilisation of the relatively high levels we have already seen team to do this. in the US, UK and France. Facebook has also launched a new
We used to be standing % USING PUSH ALERTS AND NOTIFICATIONS FOR NEWS on a hill and shouting (SELECTED COUNTRIES) messages at people. 30% 30% “ 2016 2016 Now, there’s a growing 25% 2015 number of users who only 25% 2015 20% 2014 engage with us when we 20% 2014 send a push.” 15% 14 14 15% 13 12 Andrew Phelps, Product Director 10% 14 14 11 13 10 10 12 9 9 9 of Messaging and Push, 10% 8 8 11 10 7 10 5% 6 9 96 9 8 5 85 New York Times 4 4 7 5% 6 3 6 5 5 0% 4 4 USA UK 3 Germany France Spain Austria Italy 0% USA UK Germany France Spain Austria Italy
Q10. Thinking about how you got news online (via computer, mobile or any device) in the last week, which were the ways in which you came across news stories? Base: Total 2014-2016 sample in each country
7 BuzzFeed app strategy from Digiday, Apr. 2016: http://digiday.com/publishers/inside-buzzfeeds-mobile-plans-breaking-news-domination 8 Digiday, ‘Inside the New York Times’: http://digiday.com/publishers/inside-new-york-times-new-push-notifications-team REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 23
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 18
SMARTWATCHES FOR NEWS MOST USEFUL ROUTE TO NEWS ON A SMARTWATCH For the first time this year, we have tracked the usage of smart watches like Receive news alert 32 the Apple Watch and Samsung Gear. These devices integrate closely with Go directly to news app 14 smartphone operating systems and Receive sport alert 14 many news companies have developed specific interfaces for the watch along Go directly to sport app 4 with providing another channel for Go directly to weather app 13 push alerts. Receive weather alert 12 So far, however, we find that only a few early adopters have bought these 0% 10% 20% 30% devices with less than 1% in both the US and Europe using them for news. Q8bii. You’ve said you used a **smart watch or wristband** for news in the last week. Which ONE of the following Of those that do use news, push alerts do you find MOST useful? Base: All who used a smartwatch in the last week: All countries = 288 seem to be more popular than going directly to an app, though this is more equally split for weather.
FIRST NEWS ACCESS IN THE MORNING By contrast, in Ireland, almost four in ten start their day with The addictive nature of smartphones (and smart watches) is radio news. But in countries with strong reading cultures, like Finland and Japan, a significant minority still sit down with a REUTERSalso impacting INSTITUTE how FOR some THE STUDY people OF JOURNALISMstart their day. Mobile internet devices have entered the bedroom and they increasingly take printed newspaper in the morning, even though both countries slidetheir place 24 alongside radio, television, and print for the right to are in other ways extremely digital. deliver the first updates of the day. In all seven countries where we asked this question, we find Many of these early morning news habits have been laid that the internet is first choice for around a third of news down for generations but we also find significant country-based consumers, with around half of these using the smartphone differences. Over half of our Japanese sample (51%) turn first to and half using a computer. television news in the morning, as do 43% of Italians.
FIRST WAY OF ACCESSING NEWS (SELECTED COUNTRIES) Total Internet USA 6 12 36 18 17 3 6 39% Print
UK 8 24 USA 632 12 9 1636 6 4 18 31%17 3Radio 6 Print
UK 8 24 32 9 16 6 4 France 6 30 28 14 12 3 7 28% TV Radio France 6 30 28 14 12 3 7 Ireland TV 4 39 16 14 21 2 3 38% Computer Ireland 4 39 16 14 21 2 3 Computer Finland 20 15 20 15 20 5 5 40% Finland 20 15 20 15 20 5Smartphone 5 Smartphone Japan 14 3 Japan 14 3 51 14 13 1 4 51 1428% 13 1 4 Tablet Tablet Italy 6 13 Italy 643 13 16 15 343 4 1635% 15 3 4 None of these/Don't knowNone of these/Don't know 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Q9c_new2016 What is the FIRST way you typically come across news in the morning? Base: Total sample in each country. Note: Due to rounding, total figures for each country do not always add up to exactly 100%, and combined figures for online access methods do not always add up to the total internet figure
For those who start their day with a smartphone, almost half app or website. In the UK it is a similar story around social in the US turn first to a social network like Facebook (37%) or media, though more people turn first to a website or app, Twitter (6%) with only a quarter (23%) going to a branded news perhaps because of the strong market position of the BBC. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 25
OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 18 / 19
FIRST NEWS SOURCE WHEN USING A SMARTPHONE (USA AND UK)
2% 2%Other/Don't know Other/Don't know 3% 3%Other/Don't know Other/Don't know Social Social Social Social 23% 23% 22% Email Email37% Email Email 2% Other/Don't know 3% Other/Don't know 10%48% Audio/video48% Audio/video6% Audio/video Audio/video 33% 33% 48% 15%48% Social15% Social Homescreen links Homescreen links Homescreen links Homescreen links 23% Email Email 1% 7% 1% 7% Aggregator Aggregator 6% Aggregator6% Aggregator 1% 8% 1% 8% 48% Audio/video Audio/video 33% 48% 15% News website or app News website or app NewsHomescreen website linksor app News website or app Homescreen links REUTERS4% 1% INSTITUTE FOR THE4% STUDY 1% OF JOURNALISM 1% 7% Aggregator 6% Aggregator 1% 8% slide 26 News website or app News website or app 16% use to access first thing 17% use to access first thing 4% 1%
Q9d_2016. You mentioned that your FIRST contact with news in the morning is using smartphone, in which ONE of the following places do you typically find your first news? Base: All who use a smartphone for news first thing in the morning: UK = 302, US = 334
TYPES OF NEWS AND THE RISE OF VISUAL HOMEPAGES AND OTHER NEWS LISTS CONTENT HAVE BECOME LESS IMPORTANT (UK) The move to mobile and distributed news has also affected the 80% way in which news is packaged and displayed. Over the last 2014 few years we have seen fewer people tending to look at a list 2016 60% of news headlines, like the homepage of a website, with more 59 59
goingREUTERS directly INSTITUTE to articlesFOR THE andSTUDY other OF JOURNALISM news formats. 40% 40 43 Looking at data across all our countries we find news articles slide 27 20%80% are still the most consumed type of news content (59%), though 2014 2016 we’ve seen the emergence of new formats such as live pages 60%0% (15%), and Listicles (13%) as well as more visual formats such as List59 of headlines News articles59 (eg homepage) picture stories (20%) and info graphics (8%). These formats are 40% 43 integrated into news websites but also play well in social media. 40 Q11.20% Thinking of the way you looked at news online (via any device) in the last week, which of the following ways of consuming news did you use? Base: Total 2014/2016 sample 0% List of headlines News articles (eg homepage) TYPES OF NEWS CONTENT (ALL COUNTRIES) VIDEO NEWS NOT GROWING AS FAST AS EXPECTED
News articles 59 One surprise in this year’s data is that online news video appears to be growing more slowly than might be expected. List of headlines (e.g. homepage) 41 Across all 26 countries only a quarter (24%) of respondents say they access online news video in a given week. This represents Online news video 24 surprisingly weak growth given the explosive growth and Picture gallery 20 prominence on the supply side.
Live page 15 Video consumption is highest in the United States (33%), where there has been significant ramp up in production by many news Online news audio 14 organisations – attracted by higher advertising premiums and News blog 14 better distribution opportunities in social media. By contrast, our weighted European average shows that less than a quarter List (e.g. top ten) 13 (22%) are using video news in a given week with some of the lowest levels in Denmark (15%) and the Netherlands (17%). News graphic 8
0% 30% 60%
Q11. Thinking of the way you looked at news online (via any device) in the last week, which of the following ways of consuming news did you use? Base: Total sample REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 28
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 20
WEEKLY VIDEO NEWS CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY
USA 30% in 2015 BRA 26% in 2015 CZE 35% 21% in 2015 FRA 33 19% in 2015 30% 32 30 30 29 NLD 28 28 27 27 15% in 2015 25% 26 25 24 23 23 23 22 22 22 20% 21 21 21
17 17 17 15% 16 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 15 10% slide 29 5%
0% USA CAN POLIRETURGREBRA AUS SPA KOR CZEHUN ITA GERPORFINSUIBELFRAUKSWENOR AUT DENJPNNLD
Q11. Thinking of the way you looked at news online in the last week which of the following ways of consuming news did you use? Base: Total sample in each country
Across our entire sample, the vast majority (78%) say they MAIN BARRIERS TO USING NEWS VIDEO only read news in text or occasionally watch news video that (ALL COUNTRIES) looks interesting. Just one in twenty (5%) say they mostly watch rather than read news online. When pressed, the main reason I find reading quicker 41 people give for not using more video is that they fi nd text and more convenient quicker and more convenient (41%). Around a fi fth (19%) say Pre-roll ads tend to put me o 35 that videos often don’t add anything to what is already in the text story. Videos take too long to load 20
We also fi nd a signifi cant proportion (35%) that say they are Videos don't add to text story 19 I'd rather watch on put off by pre-roll advertisements and this fi gure has increased 19 in a number of countries this year including the United States, a bigger screen I'm concerned about cost 9 France, Finland and the UK. (on mobile) 0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Q11ai. You said that you don’t usually watch news videos online. Why not? Base: All who did not watch an online news video in the last week: All countries = 40582
VIDEO CONSUMPTION IS BECOMING MORE pioneered autoplay functionality – with the company reporting DISTRIBUTED 8 billion daily video views by November 20159 as a result. New Much of the growth in news video consumption has come live streaming services have also played their part in major through social networks in the last year. Facebook in particular stories. Twitter’s Periscope was widely used during the Paris has increased the prominence of video in its newsfeeds – and and Brussels attacks. Facebook Live is also now available.
9 http://techcrunch.com/2015/11/04/facebook-video-views – NB Facebook register a ‘view’ after three seconds. OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 20 / 21
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 31
A key question for the industry is the extent to which news way. We also find the under-35s are often much more likely video is still being consumed directly on news websites or to consume news video through social networks than whether it is now mainly consumed within social networks like the population as a whole (see charts below). Even in countries Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat. that tend to be less active in social media like Japan, Finland, and Germany, the amount of offsite video consumption is Across countries, we find a pretty even split between the two, significant. Video formats are now at the heart of the with countries that are particularly active in social media like distributed content revolution. Brazil (52%) and Greece (48%) consuming more news video this
ON-SITE60% VS SOCIAL VIDEO CONSUMPTION (ALL AGES) SELECTED COUNTRIES
52 60%45% 48 Mostly watch on 45 news site 42 39 38 37 52 35 36 35 36 Mostly watch via 45%30% 33 33 48 Mostly watch on 31 social networks 29 45 news site REUTERS INSTITUTE42 FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 26 39 22 38 37 3519 36 35 36 Mostly watch via 30%15% 18 33 33 slide 3215 31 social networks 29 26 0% 22 15% JPN FIN 18 GER 19 UK FRA USA SPA ITA GRE BRA 15
0% JPN FIN GER UK FRA USA SPA ITA GRE BRA
Q11E. Which of the following statements best matches your consumption of online news video? Base: Total sample in each country
ON-SITE60% VS SOCIAL VIDEO CONSUMPTION (U35s ) SELECTED COUNTRIES
60% 52 45% 48 Mostly watch onMostly watch via social networks 45 58 59 news site 42 39 38 37 35 36 35 36 50 51 Mostly watch viaMostly watch on news site 45%30% 33 33 31 46 social networks 29 40 26 22 38 15% 35 18 3419 30% 15 29 29 29 29REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 27 27 27 27 23 24 0% 22 slide 33 15% JPN FIN GER UK FRA USA SPA ITA GRE BRA
0% JPN FIN GER UK FRA USA ITA SPA GRE BRA
Q11E. Which of the following statements best matches your consumption of online news video? Base: Under 35s (around 400 in each country)
In general we also find that most SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO USE video is still consumed on computers, NEWS VIDEO though this varies across countries 40% Q11. Thinking of the way you looked and between generations. Younger at news online (via any device) users do access more video via the 36 in the last week, which of the 30% following ways of consuming news smartphone but only to the extent 31 did you use? Base: Total sample/ 27 that they use these devices more 20% 24 Facebook users/YouTube users/ anyway. On the other hand, we do Active social users: All countries = 53227/35606/30649/16816. Note: see a key correlation with social 10% Active social users are defined as media use. Heavy social media users ‘proactive participators’ (see p. 101) in particular are around 50% more 0% All Facebook YouTube Active social likely to access online news videos users users users than the general population. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 22
ELUSIVE BUSINESS MODELS AND THE RISE OF Digital born companies have also increasingly been affected AD-BLOCKING by the same trends with BuzzFeed reportedly missing revenue 11 Although online has enabled many publishers to reach more targets and Mashable amongst others laying off staff. people than ever before, the business models around digital For more see section 2: Analysis by Country, p. 30. remain extremely challenging. This year’s country pages are full of stories of traditional media companies laying off staff in the light of sharp declines in print revenue and continuing problems REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM Hardest hit have been publishers who depend on digital in monetising audiences online. advertising revenue, which has weakened due to (a) the move slide 34 to smaller mobile screens (b) the market power of Facebook In the UK, the Independent has abandoned print entirely, and Google and (c) the rise of ad-blocking. shedding around 75 jobs in the process while the Guardian had a particularly difficult year, losing around £50m.10 News Corp According to our data, ad-blocking is running at between 10% Australia and Fairfax newspapers combined have announced (Japan) and 38% (Poland), but much higher amongst under-35s. more than 200 editorial staff cuts over the past 12 months, Most of those who have ever downloaded a blocker are using while there have been changes of ownership or significant them regularly, suggesting that once downloaded they rarely media consolidation in France, Italy and Poland amongst others. go back.
WIDESPREAD USE OF AD-BLOCKING ACROSS MARKETS U35 AD-BLOCKING
Poland 56% 50%
Greece 51% 40% 38 36 Germany 39% 30% 31 30 30 28 27 26 26 25 25 24 24 24 20% 23 23 23 22 21 21 21 20 20 20
10% 12 10
0% IREFRATURGREPOL SPA PORSWE AUT FINDENHUNGER USA AUS BELNOR CAN SUICZEBRAUK ITA NLD KOR JPN
QAD3. And do you currently use software on any of your personal devices (e.g. laptop, smartphone etc.) that allows you to block adverts on the internet (e.g. Adblock Plus)? Base: Total sample in each country
Of those that currently use an ad-blocker, the vast majority collectively block all content to those using ad-blockers – do so on their laptop or desktop computer. Across our entire offering a choice instead of one-off payments.12 But the fact sample, only around one in ten (8%) block adverts using their that many blockers are young, technically savvy, and have low smartphone. However, these numbers may increase with trust in news organisations may make such initiatives difficult ad-blocking apps and browsers now available for Apple and to pull off. Android phones. Around a third of our sample say they plan to install an ad-blocker on their smartphones in the next year Ad-blocking is highest with the young and with those who (this question was asked in Germany, UK, and US only). use the news most heavily. In countries where ad-blocking is particularly common – such as Poland and Spain – a majority A number of publishers have tried requesting readers to turn of 18–24 year olds now block adverts. In every country, ad-blockers off while others are going further. Publishers in ad-blocking becomes slightly less common with each Sweden, one of the worst affected countries (27%) plan to increase in age bracket.
10 http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jan/25/guardian-news-media-to-cut-running-costs 11 Financial Times, ‘Buzzfeed misses revenue targets’: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0%2F26ebf992-00c4-11e6-99cb-83242733f755.html 12 Digiday, ‘Sweden’s publishers join forces to block ad-block users’: http://digiday.com/publishers/swedens-publishers-gearing-block-ad-blockers REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 35
OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 22 / 23
PROPORTION WITHIN EACH AGE GROUP THAT CURRENTLY USE AD-BLOCKING
60% 60% 60 60 18-24 18-24 50% 53 50% 5353 53 48 25-34 46 48 25-34 40% 44 46 40% 40 44 35-44 37 40 35-44 30% 34 37 33 34 45-54 30% 29 28 33 29 45-54 25 29 29 20% 24 28 24 55+ 20 2519 20 24 20 24 20% 17 18 18 17 55+ 2016 20 20 10% 19 18 1813 12 16 17 11 10 17 10% 7 13 12 0% 11 10 Poland Spain Germany UK USA Japan 7 0% Poland Spain Germany UK USA Japan
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM QAD3. And do you **currently** use software on any of your personal devices (e.g. laptop, smartphone etc.) that allows you to block adverts on the internet (e.g. Adblock Plus)? Base:slide 18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45-54s/55+: 36 Poland = 247/423/344/303/683, Spain = 182/457/420/355/690, Germany = 183/301/306/400/845, UK = 220/206/293/400/905, US = 175/329/377/300/1016, Japan = 197/284/320/315/895
There is not one single reason for ad-blocking. Mostly it Netherlands and Spain. Only around one in ten is worried reflects unhappiness with the volume and distracting nature about the impact of advertisements on data plans or battery of advertising but there are strong privacy concerns in the life on their smartphones.
REASONS FOR AD-BLOCKING (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
USA UK GER FRA SPA POL CAN POR NLD CZE
I was fed up with the volume and distracting nature of 68% 74% 64% 65% 50% 65% 60% 58% 48% 75% advertisements in general
I dislike ads that follow me around from one site to 55% 56% 57% 51% 52% 43% 52% 56% 64% 41% another (privacy concerns)
To improve the speed at which pages load 50% 42% 38% 39% 40% 40% 48% 41% 37% 39%
So I don’t use as much data on my mobile phone plan 10% 9% 14% 9% 17% 15% 15% 13% 11% 13%
To save battery life 13% 11% 13% 12% 14% 13% 19% 12% 12% 10%
QAD3ai. Which of the following reasons caused you to install an adblocker? Base: All who currently use an adblocker: US = 596, UK = 560, Germany = 649, France = 746, Spain = 736, Poland = 857, Canada = 538, Portugal = 597, Netherlands = 527, Czech Republic = 538
With existing models of online advertising increasingly broken, Sponsored content and its labelling is still an emerging area publishers have renewed their focus on alternative forms such with much room for confusion. In looking at six countries as branded and sponsored content. A number of publishers where the practice is most prevalent, we find consumers are have set up internal agencies that create content for brands, most comfortable in Canada and the US and most resistant in often using the same formats, fonts and templates as other Germany and Korea, where only a fifth (21%) agreed that the editorial content. This content may take the form of a list, a labelling was sufficiently clear and a third (32%) disagreed. video or a microsite. At other times it takes the form of links to branded content from ‘around the web’ provided by companies like Outbrain and Taboola.13
13 Outbrain and Taboola are widely used content discovery platforms that help content producers and brands find audiences through modules that offer sponsored website links. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 37
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 24
% THAT SAY LABELLING OF SPONSORED CONTENT IS CLEAR (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
Canadian examples of sponsored content Canada 48
USA 41
Italy 39
UK 36
Germany 30
Korea 21
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
QSPONS1_2016: Thinking about sponsored or branded content in online news sites, to what extent to you agree with the following statements: The labelling of sponsored and branded content on news websites is simple and clear. Base: Total sample in each country
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM Inslide these countries, 38 we also compared attitudes to advertising are more prepared to accept advertising for free news, which is on news websites in general with attitudes to sponsored and surprising given they are also some of the heaviest users of branded content. In North America, Italy and the UK there is ad blockers. slightly more acceptance of sponsored content than general display advertising but in Germany and Korea we find more For more see essay 4.1: Mark Thompson, ‘The Challenging negative attitudes to advertising in general and sponsored New Economics of Journalism’, p. 108. content in particular. In all countries, we find younger groups
SPONSORED CONTENT VS DISPLAY ADVERTISING (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
50% 50% I am prepared to see sponsoredI am prepared content to see sponsored content 50 50 in exchange for free news in exchange for free news 4647 4646 47 46 40% I am prepared to see advertising on news 40% 41 40 I am prepared to see advertising on news 41 40 websites in exchange for free news 36 37 37 websites in exchange for free news 36 33 33 30% 33 33 30% 30 29 30 29 20% QAD1_2. Thinking about advertising on news websites or news apps, 20% to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements: I am prepared to see advertisements in exchange for free news. 10% QSPONS1_2016_2: Thinking about sponsored or branded content 10% in online news sites, to what extent to you agree with the following 0% statements: I am prepared to see sponsored or branded content in Canada USA Italy UK Korea Germany exchange for free news. Base: Total sample in each country 0% Canada USA Italy UK Korea Germany
PROSPECTS FOR PAID CONTENT ONLINE experiments reverted to free (NYT app) and some paywalls Whilst around 45% of our total sample pay for a printed have been abandoned. In the UK too, some paywall strategies newspaper at least once a week, it has been much harder to have been reversed (e.g. the Sun), whilst others have started persuade readers to pay for general news online. focussing more on paid content via membership/premium content (the Guardian). The UK has one of the lowest levels of In the United States the percentage paying for any online online payment (7%) along with Greece, Austria and the news in the last year has fallen from 11% to 9% as some paid Czech Republic. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 39
OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 24 / 25
% THAT HAVE PAID (ANYTHING) FOR ONLINE NEWS IN THE LAST YEAR
POL 17% in 2015 30% ITA 12% in 2015 English speaking countries 25% 27 JPN NLD 10% in 2015 10% in 2015 IRE POR 20% 7% in 2015 7% in 2015 20 20 AUT 5% in 2015 15% 16 15 15 12 12 12 10% 11 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 8 8 5% 7 7 7 7
0% SWEPOLNOR ITA SUIFRABELNLDJPNFINDEN AUS SPA USA PORIRE CAN CZEHUNGER AUT UKGRE
Q7a. Have you paid for ONLINE news content, or accessed a paid-for ONLINE news service in the last year? (This could be digital subscription, combined digital/print subscription or one-off payment for an article or app or e-edition).Base: Total sample in each country
It is striking that no English-speaking country has a payment THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUST IN NEWS rate of more than 10% – likely to be a consequence of intense PROVISION global competition for digital eyeballs. By contrast some smaller This year we have explored in some detail the role of trust countries protected by geography or language have been able to in general as well as specifically in news organisations and achieve rates of 20% or more, particularly where there is tradition journalists. In addition to survey questions we held focus of newspaper subscription via home delivery to build on. groups in four countries – the UK, US, Germany, and Spain – to understand more about some of the drivers for trusting or A strong online presence by a public service broadcaster not trusting the news. does not necessarily seem to be a barrier to paying for online news. Norway, Sweden and Finland all have strong PSBs and Overall we find a high level of variation in the extent to which high levels of payment. By contrast, the United States has no news is trusted across our 26 countries. Typically, affluent significant public broadcasting tradition but has relatively low Western European and Scandinavian countries with a mix of REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM levels of online payment. strong, well-funded public service broadcasters and commercial slide 40 players scored highly. Trust is lower in the United States (33%) Some counties like Italy show high headline percentages, but as well as in Southern European countries. In Greece, just one have relatively low numbers of digital subscriptions and higher in five (20%) said that they trust the news, the lowest figure rates of payment for single e-editions. The median reported in 2016. annual payment for online news ranges from £9 in Poland to £36 in Germany and £82 in the UK – with generally higher yields in countries that have high levels of ongoing subscription.
See analysis in section 3.9: Paying for Online News, p. 103.
% THAT AGREE ‘YOU CAN TRUST MOST NEWS MOST OF THE TIME’
80%
60% 65 60 58 55 55 54 52 51 50 50 50 47 46 46 40% 43 43 43 42 40 40 34 33 32 31 20% 22 20
0% BRAPORFIN CAN SUIIREUKBELGERNLDPOL SPA NORDEN AUTAUS JPN ITA CZETURSWE USA HUNFRA KOR GRE
Q6_2016_1. Thinking about news in general, do you agree or disagree with the following statements?: I think you can trust most news most of the time.Base: Total sample in each country REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 26
In Greece, the economic crisis has seen a loss of faith in NEWS ORGANISATIONS ARE THE KEY DRIVERS institutions in general and in news organisations across all OF TRUST sections of society – with a particular focus on the under-35s. Our data also show that news brands rather than journalists are Trust is also affected by perceptions of political influence over the main way in which trust is delivered. Although online news the media in countries like Turkey where the government has has provided more opportunities for journalists to build their clamped down on opposition newspapers and in Hungary own profiles, interact with readers, and in some cases start their where the media is highly politicised; only 14% of our Hungarian own businesses, established news brands continue to resonate respondents agreed that the media were independent from most with readers everywhere – with the exception of France. undue political or government influence most of the time, Journalists carry a particularly low reputation in many countries compared with an EU weighted average of 29%. such as the UK where there is a strong and vigorous tabloid REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM press. Although headline trust levels are quite low, a wide range Business and commercial influence over the news is of research including our own in 2015 has shown that trust is consideredslide 41 a strong factor in Greece, Hungary, the Czech much higher in sources that people actually use. Republic, Korea, and also the United States. In the US less than one in five (18%) agree with the notion that the news media are For more see essay 4.2: Ed Williams, ‘Why Trust Matters’, independent of business or commercial interests most of the p. 110. time. Over half (51%) disagree.
Also see section 3.6: Trust in the News in More Depth, p. 94.
% THAT AGREE ‘YOU CAN TRUST NEWS ORGANISATIONS/JOURNALISTS MOST OF THE TIME’
70%
60% 62 News organisations 56 56 50% 54 53 52 51 49 50 Journalists 47 47 48 47 47 47 46 40% 43 43 40 42 42 37 35 30% 33 33 32 20%
10%
0% FIN NLD BRA POR CAN BEL GER IRE DEN POL SPA ITA AUT
70%
60%
50%
40% 42 42 39 39 35 37 36 30% 32 32 34 33 29 30 27 29 28 29 28 20% 25 21 20 20 17 17 16 10% 11 0% NOR UK AUS SUI TUR SWE JPN USA CZE FRA HUN KOR GRE
70%
60% 62 Q6_2016_2/3. Thinking about news in general, do you agree or disagree with the following statements?: I think you can trust most journalists News organisations 56 56 50% most of54 the time/I53 think you52 can trust most news organisations most of the time. Base: Total sample in each country 51 49 50 Journalists 47 47 48 47 47 47 46 40% 43 43 40 42 42 37 35 30% 33 33 32 20%
10%
0% FIN NLD BRA POR CAN BEL GER IRE DEN POL SPA ITA AUT
70%
60%
50%
40% 42 42 39 39 35 37 36 30% 32 32 34 33 29 30 27 29 2829 28 20% 25 21 20 20 17 17 16 10% 11 0% NOR UK AUS SUI TUR SWE JPN USA CZE FRA HUN KOR GRE REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 42
OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 26 / 27
THE CONTINUED IMPORTANCE OF NEWSPAPER BROADCASTER DIGITAL TRADITIONAL MEDIA BRANDS BRAND BRAND BORN* Our research suggests that even in the era of social media and atomised media, news organisations and traditional news brands still matter enormously.
Although aggregators and social media are important gateways to news, most of the content consumed still comes 69% 62% 45% from newspaper groups, broadcasters, or digital born brands that have invested in original content. Across all of our 26 Q5B. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Base: Total sample countries over two-thirds of our sample (69%) access a *Digital born brands like Buzzfeed and Huffington Post that produce their own content newspaper brand online each week, with almost as many (62%) accessing the online service of a broadcasting outlet.
Second-wave digital-born brands like BuzzFeed and the respondents everywhere were much more likely to turn to a Huffington Post are growing in reach in many countries around brand with a track record for serious news. This point was also the world, but when asked about their MAIN news source, a strong theme in our focus groups:
REUTERSSo doINSTITUTE these FOR news THE STUDY brands OF JOURNALISM still matter then? And in the future they’ll still matter? MslideYeah. 43 F I would be disappointed if they didn’t because then how do we know if we’re getting accurate F Yeah. information or not. M I still think brand matters, I still think you go to the more reputable ones by far, I don’t think that’s going to change.
% OF TOTAL SAMPLE USING SPECIFIC BRANDS AS THEIR MAIN SOURCE OF ONLINE NEWS (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
UK JAP ITA NOR USA
BBC 36% Yahoo News 49% La Repubblica 11% VG Nett 25% Yahoo News 12%
MailOnline 7% NHK 5% TGCOM 10% NRK 15% Fox News 10%
Sky News 5% Nikkei 4% La Stampa 6% Aftenposten 7% CNN 6%
Q5e. Overall, which is your MAIN source of news when accessing using **online platforms**? Base: Total sample in each country. Note: Those who did not use an online news source in the last week are recorded as having no main online news source. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 28
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 44 Taking the UK as an example, over a third (36%) of the entire You kind of like have a serious news source sample say the BBC News website or app is their main source and then the sort of guilty pleasure sources.” of news. That’s more than two-thirds (70%) of those that use (20–34 year old, UK Focus Group) the BBC each week. By contrast only a small percentage of “ BuzzFeed (13%) or Huffington Post users (13%) say they are their main source in the UK.
% OF THOSE USING SELECTED ONLINE BRANDS WHO SAY IT IS THEIR MAIN SOURCE
13%13%13% 13%13%13%13% 13%13%13%13% MainMain Mainsource sourceMain source source 30%30%30%30% 39% 13% 13% 13% SecondarySecondarySecondarySecondary source source source source 30% Main source Secondary source 70%70%70%70% 61% 87%87%87% 87%87%87% 87% 87%87%87%87% 70% 87% 87% 87%
Harder news Softer news
Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Q5e. Overall, which is your MAIN source of news when accessing using **online platforms**? Base:
Of course this is a complex picture where many digital-born This year’s survey also covers more small countries and three brands, like Quartz, Politico, or Mediapart in France, are also in multilingual countries where consumption and media habits are the business of providing serious news but to niche audiences. strongly influenced by larger neighbours. Canadian and Irish media companies looking to charge for general news have to We also find that some aggregator brands like Yahoo News cope with strong competition from the US and UK respectively, in Japan, Yahoo in the United States, and Naver in Korea are while German media have also been looking for new markets in relied on as a main source of news by a significant number of Austria and Switzerland. The media systems in both Switzerland people. By carrying high-quality content where the source is not and Belgium are particularly complex, subdivided by language always noticed, it appears that – over time – these brands have with strong cross-border influences. managed to acquire their own credibility as a news source. These differences act as a counter to theories of technological Individual brands clearly have different strengths and roles in determinism. Culture, habit, geography, regulation, history, the ecosystem – across types of news, stages of news story company strategies all play their part in how fast or slow digital evolution, times of the day, and across different platforms. technologies – and business models – are adopted in any Traditional brands tend to act as anchors or starting points; particular country. native digital brands tend to act as supplementary sources or may help entertain in the downtime. For more see section 3.1: Sources of News, p. 86, and section 3.2: Segmentation across and within Countries, p. 87. COUNTRY-BASED DIFFERENCES IN DIGITAL ADOPTION TELEVISION NEWS LOSING YOUNGER VIEWERS As in previous years, we find significant differences across our 26 countries both in terms of the type of news brands As we’ve already noted above, we also find strong generational that people prefer and the way they access them. Germany differences in the sources and platforms being used for news. and France exhibit the most traditional behaviours with strong Traditional platforms like TV remain preferred sources for continuing preference for TV, radio, and print. By contrast, older generations, but are losing traction with the young in Korea, Norway, and Sweden have a strongly digital outlook, most countries. but traditional media remain both well used and valued. Over the last three years, the percentage of under-35s who Greece is in a sense the most digital, but low internet say they access TV bulletins or 24-hour news channels has penetration here may be partly responsible for this result as fallen significantly in the UK and France (around 20 points) and online polls will tend to underplay the strength of TV, radio, to a slightly lesser extent in the United States and Germany. and print. Even so, many Greeks have lost trust in traditional media and have been putting their faith in online sites, blogs, and social media instead. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 45
OVERVIEW AND KEY FINDINGS 28 / 29
ACCESS TO TV NEWS 2013–16 (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
100% 100% GER GER 90% FRA 90% FRA UK 80% Fall in TV news viewing by under 35s (2013-16) UK 80% USA 70% USA GER FRA UK USA 70% 2013 70% 81% 63% 55% 60%
60% 2016 64% 61% 42% 44% 50% 2013 2014 2015 2016 Difference -6 -20 -21 -11 50% 2013 2014 2015 2016
Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Base: Total sample 2013-2016 sample in each country. Note: 2014 data has been estimated because of an issue with randomisation of news sources in the questionnaire
TV news tends to be more important in Europe with its tradition Social networks and aggregators recognise they need this of strong public service broadcasters than in the United States. high-quality content to attract audiences to come back more However, our data do show a slight increase in the US this year, regularly. At the same time publishers want access to the where our polling was done in the week of the Ohio Caucus enormous global audiences that have been built up and fair as the presidential campaign began to hit its stride. recompense for the investment they have made in original news content. The key challenge is how to find and maintain More generally, the rise of the video-enabled internet and the an appropriate balance between destination and distribution, distribution of breaking news through social networks and between risk and reward. smartphones is starting to provide alternatives to 24-hour news channels. Al-Jazeera America closed its doors in April 2016 in Whilst some publishers like the Washington Post have gone order to focus its resources on online and mobile channels, ‘all-in’ with Facebook Instant Articles, most publishers recognise while some other established players are contemplating they will need to ride two horses – investing also in websites following suit.14 and apps where loyal audiences can be nurtured and ultimately monetised.
CONCLUSIONS Driving revenues from online content has become the most critical issue for publishers, particularly those coming from a There are two contradictory but important messages in this print background. But the moves to distributed content outlined year’s data. On the one hand we see publishers losing control in this report, the difficult economics of mobile, and the growth of distribution, some consumers not noticing where content of ad-blocking seem to be making sustainable business models comes from, and the growing influence of platforms and more elusive than ever. algorithms. And yet at the same time we find, both in our survey data and our qualitative work, that people still want, As in previous years we see the uneven nature of digital value, and identify with traditional news brands. change both across generations and within countries. We see how some countries are protected to a degree by culture, So how to explain these contradictions? Much probably relates language, or regulation, while others face the full force of digital to individual context, to the type of news, or to our often- competition. We see everywhere how young people consume complex relationship with a particular brand. More of us are the news differently, with a focus on mobile and social media. accessing news across multiple platforms, through aggregators and social networks, but finding the signal from the noise can It’s hard to know how far – or how fast – the shift to distributed be time-consuming and confusing. News brands can help media will go, but this feels like the beginning of a new phase consumers navigate this landscape but to succeed they will of media disruption. News organisations will need to keep need to (a) deliver consistently with a strong audience focus, adapting to the changes ahead – whilst recognising that (b) have a clear identity that matches the content proposition, journalistic track record, trust, and brand equity will remain and (c) excel at distribution in a fast-changing environment. necessary if not sufficient ingredients of success.
14 Guardian, ‘BBC considers replacing news channel with mobile streaming’: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/26/bbc-considers-replacing-news-24-with- mobile-streaming-service REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 30 30 31/
ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY
In this section we publish a country-based view of the findings, which 2.1 United States 32 includes a brief overview of media characteristics and the most important 2.2 UK 34 data points in terms of digital news. 2.3 Germany 36 This includes an overview of Whilst most of our countries see 2.4 France 38 consumption in each country, including internet penetration of 80% or more, 2.5 Italy 40 details of the most popular news brands Italy, Brazil, and Turkey in particular – traditional and online. The pages also have far lower levels of access. In those 2.6 Spain 42 contain statistics about the use of new countries we are looking at the habits 2.7 Portugal 44 devices such as smartphones and tablets of around (or less than) half the adult and the role of different social networks population. It should also be noted that 2.8 Ireland 46 for news. Information is drawn from the Brazilian and Turkish samples are 2.9 Norway 48 the 2016 Digital News Report survey urban-based samples (and skew far using the methodology outlined on younger, with roughly half the proportion 2.10 Sweden 50 p. 6, with the exception of population of over-55s compared to the other 2.11 Finland 52 and internet levels which are drawn from countries surveyed). Many international 2.12 Denmark 54 Internet World Statistics (2015). In the comparisons will still be relevant in terms case of Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, of understanding differences in the 2.13 Belgium 56 Netherlands, Turkey, and Portugal online sphere, but anyone interpreting 2.14 Netherlands 58 comparative data, where referenced, these results should be careful not to comes from the Supplementary Digital suggest these figures represent the 2.15 Switzerland 60 News Report 2015. Where appropriate, total adult population, especially 2.16 Austria 62 our country-based authors have also when considering offline versus referenced industry statistics that online consumption. 2.17 Hungary 64 supplement our survey-based approach. 2.18 Czech Republic 66 Some historic data for sources of news The full questionnaire, additional 2.19 Poland 68 in 2014 has been adjusted following an charts and tables plus the raw data error in randomising question options. are available from our website 2.20 Greece 70 www.digitalnewsreport.org. Brand data in Turkey, Italy, South Korea, 2.21 Turkey 72 and Japan are drawn from a re-poll in March/April 2016 with a slightly smaller 2.22 South Korea 74 sample (around 1,000 in each country). 2.23 Japan 76 2.24 Australia 78 2.25 Canada 80
2.26 Brazil 82 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 32
STATISTICS UNITED STATES Pop 321m The US media environment is highly commercial, Internet penetration 87% highly competitive, and increasingly fragmented – with a diverse set of legacy publishers increasingly challenged by newer digital outlets.
News and journalism have never expand their international digital been more popular or more difficult footprints. BuzzFeed launched to monetise - with platforms run by more international editions, but also Silicon Valley technology giants playing missed its 2015 revenue targets by a an increasing powerful role. Snapchat large margin.15 The New York Times launched its Discover channels in the launched a Spanish edition – The New United States last year, providing a new York Times en Español – in February distribution outlet for brands like Vice, 2016 while increasing subscriptions by BuzzFeed, the Wall Street Journal and 20% at home. The NYT also announced it Cosmopolitan. The New York Times would be investing $50m in the European and the Washington Post were early market where online Washington-based participants in Facebook’s Instant Articles Politico had also expanded with a bureau initiative, now opened up to all publishers. in April 2015. Both legacy brands and Apple News launched a revamped app digital outlets alike grew their in-house in June as a showcase for publishers design and advertising studios despite and Google’s initiatives included the widespread scepticism about the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). robustness of native advertising, which now represents 22% of the online All this comes against a background display market. of greater use of both smartphones and social media – with almost half of Vice launched Viceland, its own cable publishers continued to seek a presence respondents in the United States (46%) television channel, while both Vox and in the US, for instance Axel Springer now using social networks as a source of BuzzFeed have expanded into video bought Business Insider for $442 million news. Facebook is by far and away the following further investments from NBC in November 2015. most important platform for news, both Universal. Mashable laid off journalists, individually and corporately, as it also cutting international and political news as Overall the message from American news owns Instagram and WhatsApp. part of a strategic shift towards video.16 journalism was one of dramatic change. This push by digital media companies Legacy print media and digital native Local journalism continues to decline, into television is in one sense surprising newsrooms alike are seeking to disrupt with the Los Angeles Times and other with the evidence that young people the TV market as advertising drains away Tribune papers experiencing more are watching less. On the other hand from pageviews and text-based formats. severe cuts to editorial staff. In April television companies are still generating Television companies are seeking to 2016 Gannett offered $815m for Tribune substantial revenues and investing in escape the same fate as print by investing Co, which would represent major digital native outlets is seen as one way in new digital native brands and the consolidation in the local market. The of hedging against future disruption. unprofitable heartland of investigative issues of scale introduced by digital Cable channel valuations have been hit and local news is seeking to remove itself advertising have been especially by growing competition from streaming from the market completely with non- challenging at local level. Three services like Netflix. Al Jazeera America profit funding models and broad-based Philadelphia media groups – the Inquirer, closed in April 2016, but mobile focused alliances. Lurking beneath all of this is the Daily News, and news website Philly. AJ+ continues to thrive. an ecosystem where Facebook, Google, com – were all put into a non-profit trust Apple, and Amazon control the advertising with the intention that this would allow Some new digital outlets like the Marshall and technological environment. both preservation and experimentation. Project, The Intercept, and Reported.ly continued to grow, hiring journalists Emily Bell and Smitha Khorana At the other end of the scale, American and editors and winning awards and Tow Center, Columbia Journalism School publishers sought to dramatically legitimacy with their peers. International
15 FT, ‘Buzzfeed slashes forecasts after missing revenue targets’ (16 Apr.). 16 http://www.adweek.com/news/television/mashable-staffers-laid-site-pushes-further-video-170669 ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 32 33/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Local televison news 33 Yahoo News 28 Fox News 31 Hungton Post 25 NBC/MSNBC News 25 Fox News online 22 ABC News 24 CNN online 21 A regional or local newspaper 24 Local television news online 21 24 20 TOP BRANDS CBS News Website of a local newspaper CNN 24 MSN News 17 % Weekly usage Local radio news 18 BuzzFeed News 16 BBC News 10 NBC/MSNBC News 16 Weekly use TV, radio & print City paper 9 14 (e.g. Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune etc) New York Times online Main source PBS News 9 ABC News online 13 TV, radio & print NPR News 9 Washington Post online 12 Weekly use online brands New York Times 8 CBS News online 12 Main source USA Today 8 Website of a city paper 12 online brands A free city paper such as Metro 6 USA Today online 11 Washington Post 5 BBC News online 10
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Print newspapers in the US Computer Social Print have been hit hard by falling 50% 50% TV circulation and advertising. Online competition is fi erce with social media use up from
27% to 46% in three years. 0% 0% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME The headline percentage is down As political polarisation has increased News I TRUST... 2 points from last year with some in the run-up to the 2016 election, 22nd/26 newspapers abandoning paywalls and trust in the media has become a paid apps. But most of those paying major issue for citizens. There is have an ongoing subscription. an increasingly fragmented media 33% landscape – to the extent that critiques Journalists of ‘the media’ have become a central pay for part of the Republican platform for News PAY 27% organisations 9% online news certain candidates. (=16th/26 countries) 30% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £62 21% 18% AGREE AGREE Mostly ongoing payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 45% 51% 24% 2 YouTube 19% 24% use ad blockers. 3 Twitter 10% 15% (=12th/26 countries) 35% under 35. 4 Instagram 4% 8% 5 LinkedIn 3% 3%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 34
STATISTICS UNITED KINGDOM Pop 65m The media environment is characterised by a strong Internet penetration 92% public broadcaster (the BBC) and by a vigorous and highly competitive national press – including a strong tabloid sector.
Over the last year the newspaper sector The Times returned to profit for has been hit hard by a sharp fall in print the first time since 2002 (£21m advertising, by the growth of ad-blockers, operating profit in the year to June 2015) and by problems of monetising content and has attracted around 150,000 paid on mobile devices. digital subscriptions (-6%).19 Growing or even maintaining this base is proving The Guardian, which recently expanded a challenging process and The Times operations to the US and Australia, has started publishing limited free increased operating losses to almost content in Apple News and a cheaper £50m in the year to March and has international app to try to attract new announced plans to cut 20% of its cost customers. Meanwhile the mass-market base. The 30-year-old Independent Sun newspaper, also owned by Rupert became the first UK national newspaper Murdoch’s News UK, abandoned its to stop the presses and go ‘online online paywall experiment in November only’, with the loss of around 75 jobs. after too few people (around 200,000) Meanwhile, Mail Online, which claims signed up for its £7.99 a month to be the world’s most visited English- subscription. language website, missed revenue targets by £7m and remains loss-making.17 The BBC has faced a difficult year following pressure from print publishers Trinity Mirror closed digital spin-offs over its size and scope and a quick- Digital-born media brands are beginning and consolidated its position in regional fix deal with the government to pay to make more impact in the UK. news by acquiring rival publisher for free licence fees for the over-75s BuzzFeed UK (+5) has expanded its news Local World. Johnston Press, owner of from within a fixed income, amounting operation, poaching Janine Gibson and The Scotsman along with more than to a considerable cut in funding other key staff from the Guardian. Its 200 regional titles, bought the profitable for its services. Its news division is investigative team broke a major story ‘i’ newspaper from the Independent implementing cuts of £5m, with the around match fixing in tennis, in a historic for £24m but suffered sharp falls in likelihood of that increasing to £80m partnership with the BBC. The Huffington print circulation and advertising in its 20 over the next 4 years. Post (+2) continues to build audiences core business and is reported to be in the UK and now beats all newspapers considering selling newspapers to pay Despite this, the BBC remains one apart from the Mail and the Guardian in off heavy debts. It has laid off hundreds of Europe’s most successful public terms of online reach. Lad Bible (4%) is a of journalists since 2009.18 broadcasters (PSBs) with impressive new entrant in digital news with a light- weekly reach online (51%) and via TV hearted content mix aimed at young men. By contrast, the fortunes of some and radio (66%). Most of the BBC’s news organisations that have been online users (70%) also say BBC News Nic Newman relying on paid content are looking up. is their main source of online news, Research Associate, Reuters Institute A new access model based on paid dwarfing other providers. The BBC is online trials helped the Financial Times experimenting with short form and grow 8% to 780,000 paid subscribers, social video formats and publishing of whom 566,000 subscribe to a digital content via Apple News and Facebook’s platform. In July 2015, the FT was sold to Instant Articles. Nikkei, Japan’s largest media company for £844m.
17 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a5ded58e-bbab-11e5-b151-8e15c9a029fb.html#axzz3zUAMUtvM 18 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/12107727/Johnston-Press-seeks-to-offload-struggling-local-newspapers.html 19 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ff5679dc-f0f8-11e5-9f20-c3a047354386.html#axzz46CK3VGEZ 20 http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/feb/29/bbc-news-cuts-news-channel ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 34 35/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
BBC News 66 10 BBC News online 51 10 ITV News 31 10 Mail Online 17 10 Sky News 22 10 Hungton Post 14 10 The Sun (and Sunday) 14 10 The Guardian online 14 10 Daily Mail (and Sunday) 13 10 Sky News online 11 10 11 10 11 10 TOP BRANDS Daily Mirror (and Sunday) Website of a local paper Regional or local newspaper 11 10 Buzzfeed News 9 10 % Weekly usage Metro 11 10 The Telegraph online 9 10 Channel 4 News 9 10 The Mirror online 8 10 Weekly use TV, radio & print Commercial radio news 9 10 MSN News 8 10 Main source The Times/Sunday Times 7 10 Yahoo News 7 10 TV, radio & print Daily Telegraph (and Sunday) 6 10 The Independent/i100 online 6 10 Weekly use online brands London Evening Standard 5 10 ITV News online 5 10 Main source The Guardian/Observer 4 10 The Sun online 5 10 online brands Channel 5 News 4 10 The Lad Bible 4 10 ‘i’ 3 10 The Times online 2 10
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Smartphone news use has Computer Social Print risen to a record 46% with 50% 50% TV many publishers reporting the majority of traffi c from mobile devices. By contrast tablet news usage is moving in the 0% 0% other direction. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME The UK has one of the lowest headline News brands have a strong heritage News I TRUST... payment rates of all our countries but and reasonable levels of trust, but =9th/26 most of these represent high value the reputation of journalists has been ongoing subscriptions. More publishers aff ected by recent scandals involving are investigating paid content or phone hacking and other invasions of 50% membership models. privacy by parts of the tabloid press. Journalists In polls television journalists (who are pay for required by UK regulator Ofcom to News PAY 29% organisations 7% online news present unbiased news) are considered (=22nd/26 countries) more trustworthy than print journalists. 42% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £82 34% 27% AGREE AGREE Mostly ongoing payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 28% 41% 21% 2 Twitter 12% 20% use ad blockers. 3 YouTube 7% 11% (=19th/26 countries) 32% under 35. 4 WhatsApp 3% 5% 5 Linkedin 2% 3%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 36
STATISTICS GERMANY Pop 81m German media use remains amongst the most Internet penetration 88% traditional in Europe with television still preferred – but there has been a significant increase in social media and access via mobile devices.
The last year has seen a robust public German PSBs have also been debate in Germany over issues of stepping up digital developments. journalistic trust. Criticism relates to At the start of 2015, ZDF launched a coverage of the sexual assaults during new cross-media news format heute+, New Year’s Eve in Cologne and the which presents current topics in a conflict in Ukraine where journalists more conversational and reflective way were accused of making errors, incorporating social channels. concealing facts, and biased reporting that supported the government line. The number of people who pay for online Critics argue that Germany’s media are news remains low in Germany at just controlled by a politically correct elite, 8% in our survey, though publishers are with some right-wing groups using the increasingly focusing on charging online. slogan Lügenpresse (lying press), a slur In the last year Süddeutsche Zeitung has popular during the Nazi era. A majority restricted users to ten free articles, with of Germans still trust the media, but in a paywall once this limit is reached and a recent poll more than 40% described according to the Federation of German reporting on refugees as one-sided.21 Newspaper Publishers (BDZV)22 this metered model is now used by about Television, particularly the widely watched one-third of daily newspapers online. evening bulletins from PSBs ARD and A bigger proportion (60%) use a freemium ZDF, remains the most important news model where selected content is subject publishers have been informing readers source in Germany, although the internet to charges. Just 5% rely on a hard paywall that online advertising helps support is the main source for under-35s. that restricts all content to paying users. quality journalism to try to convince them Traditional brands dominate usage both to switch off the software. They have also Meanwhile Germany’s best-known offline and online and there has been been investing in sponsored and branded publisher, Axel Springer, announced little disruption from digital-born websites content (so-called native advertising). – although both BuzzFeed (2%) and increased digital revenues amounting to 23 the Huffington Post (8%) have German 70% of the group’s total. Much of this Blendle, which launched in Germany editions. Social media are less popular has resulted from a deliberate strategy at the end of 2015, charges a small fee than in many other countries. of diversification and investment in (micropayment) for each article sold and digital businesses across Europe and contains content from many of Germany’s Having said that, German publishers the United States. Springer took a 97% leading publishers. Its most-read lists have been creating and distributing stake in Business Insider during 2015 and contain mainly serious news articles more news in social networks over has shares in native video site NowThis, and fewer of the soft news articles and the last year – as well as more news millennial publisher Mic as well as sensational headlines that are often designed for sharing. A number of Politico Europe. found elsewhere. However, just 1% of our new youth-orientated sites launched survey respondents said they had used German publishers have also been in 2015 include Bento, Ze.tt, and BYou; all Blendle in the last week. spin-offs from the traditional news brands leading the charge against ad-blockers. Spiegel, Zeit, and Bild respectively. These Axel Springer was amongst the first to Uwe Hasebrink and Sascha Hölig sites focus on soft news with a lighter restrict all access to bild.de unless the Hans Bredow Institute for Media tone, while using attention-grabbing user turns off their ad-blocker or signs Research, Hamburg and emotional headlines. up for a monthly subscription. Other
21 http://www.politico.eu/article/cologne-puts-germany-lying-media-press-on-defensive-migration-refugees-attacks-sex-assault-nye 22 http://www.bdzv.de/nachrichten-und-service/branchennachrichten/artikel/detail/paid_content_trend_ist_ungebrochen 23 http://www.axelspringer.de/en/presse/Axel-Springer-strengthens-position-as-leading-digital-publisher-in-the-2015-financial-year_26333671.html ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 36 37/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
ARD (inc. Tagesschau, Tagesthemen, etc) 54 Spiegel online 19 ZDF (inc. heute, heute-journal, etc) 46 N24 online 17 RTL aktuell 35 n-tv online 17 A regional or local newspaper 32 ZDF News online 16 n-tv 24 ARD News online 16 24 16 TOP BRANDS N24 Focus online Public radio news 20 Regional/local paper website 15 % Weekly usage Regional TV news 19 Bild online 15 Sat.1 Nachrichten 17 Web.de 15 Weekly use TV, radio & print Commercial radio news 14 t-online news 14 Main source Bild (inc. Sunday edition) 10 Gmx.de 13 TV, radio & print ProSieben Newstime 10 rtl.de 11 Weekly use online brands Der Spiegel 10 Sueddeutsche.de 10 Main source Focus 8 Stern.de 9 online brands Stern 7 Die Welt online 9 Süddeutsche Zeitung 5 ZEIT online 9
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Germany has a much higher Computer Social Print usage of TV news than 50% 50% TV most other countries and has adopted more slowly to new online behaviours.
Smartphone and social media 0% 0% use for news is also growing 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016 at a slower rate.
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME The relatively healthy position of Despite the recent debates about News I TRUST... German newspapers and magazines biased reporting, most Germans still 7th/26 meant they were late to charge users broadly trust the news. This is due for online news. This is changing with to a strong track record of reliable a mix of models including paywalls reporting from both public service and 52% and micropayment. commercial news brands. Our focus Journalists groups show that Germans are aware pay for that truth is a complex issue but they News PAY 40% organisations 8% online news also expect transparency and diverse (=20th/26 countries) views in news coverage. 47% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £36 37% 32% AGREE AGREE Half and half: one-off and ongoing payments TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 27% 37% 25% 2 YouTube 12% 15% use ad blockers. 3 WhatsApp 10% 13% (=10th/26 countries) 39% under 35. 4 Twitter 4% 5% 5 XING 3% 2%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 38
STATISTICS FRANCE Pop 66m The media in France is characterised by a strong Internet penetration 84% and vibrant broadcasting sector and a weak press that has struggled to manage the transition to digital. There is a growing concentration of media ownership amongst a few powerful tycoons.
The Paris attacks in November 2015 a daily newspaper for Paris and and the earlier Charlie Hebdo killings in the surrounding regions, with a January, along with two elections, have sister-version for the rest of France. heightened interest in news over the past More than a hundred people left year. The 24-hour news channel BFM L’Express-Roularta after the ownership TV reached 4m viewers on 9 January change. At Lagardère, owner of and 2.5m on the night of 13 November magazines and TV channels, around and further cemented its reputation as a 200 are expected to leave. core destination for live news. However, it faces new competition from the LCI Canal+, proprietor of the news channel news channel (part of the TF1 group), i-Télé, also has a new owner, Vivendi, which went free to air in April 2016 having whose CEO Vincent Bolloré made previously only attracted small audiences significant changes to management as through pay TV. the channel is losing subscribers.
By contrast, the newspaper sector has PSB is split between three entities, been unable to capitalise on the strong one for radio, one for TV, and one interest in the news, despite playing a for international broadcasting. Radio, key role online; a video of the drama especially morning news programmes, outside the Bataclan concert hall taken by remains strong. Public service performs to increase awareness about the issue a Le Monde journalist on his iPhone was well via radio but faces competition from and in some cases have restricted access widely shared on social media and the TF1 and other TV news channels. In for those using ad-blockers.24 website remains a key online destination. response, the new leadership at France Despite strong online performances by Télévisions and Radio France are building One exception to the downward industry newspaper groups, print circulation keeps a joint PSB 24-hour news channel on TV trends is Mediapart, a profitable news falling (-3.83%) and advertising revenues and online. It is due to launch in autumn website known for its investigative are significantly down (-0.6% in general 2016 and means France will have one of journalism and strong opinion pieces. and -7.9% for newspapers). the highest number of free-to-air news Mediapart relies solely on subscription channels in the Western world. income and the website has no Media concentration has been the big advertising. Les Jours, a start-up founded story of the last year within the news In terms of online news, readership of the by former journalists of Libération, industry. Patrick Drahi, owner of the main websites keeps growing, especially launched in March 2016, also with a telecom provider SFR-Numericable, on mobile, but revenue remains a subscription model. In print, Society, a acquired L’Express-Roularta, and created problem. Many publishers operate a biweekly magazine, was launched by a new group called Altice Media which metered paywall or use a freemium So Press to critical acclaim. French includes existing media properties such model – like Le Monde and Le Figaro – editions of Huffington Post (13%) and as left-wing newspaper Libération. restricting some articles to subscribers. BuzzFeed (4%) are also making an Drahi has also taken a significant stake impact – especially with the young. Digital advertising revenues are not rising in NextRadioTV, owners of BFM TV and as fast as expected and have been hit RMC. Meanwhile Bernard Arnault, owner Alexandre Lechenet by the growth in ad-blocking, which at of luxury company LVMH and financial Writer and data-journalist at 30% is well above the European average. newspaper Les Echos, has bought Libération and former Reuters Institute In March 2016, the main publishers Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui en France, Journalist Fellow launched a coordinated public campaign
24 http://digiday.com/publishers/mais-non-french-publishers-find-tougher-tactics-actually-work-ad-block-users ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 38 39/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
BFM TV 44 20 Minutes online 19 TF1 news 41 Le Monde online 18 France Télévisions news 35 Regional/Local paper website 15 M6 news 26 Le Figaro online 15 I-Télé 19 FranceTVInfo 15 17 15 TOP BRANDS Public radio news BFM TV online Commercial radio news 17 Hungton Post 13 % Weekly usage 20 Minutes 14 L’Express online 11 Regional or local paper 14 Le Point online 11 Weekly use TV, radio & print Canal+ news 12 Yahoo News 10 Main source Le Monde 9 MSN News 9 TV, radio & print LCI 8 TF1 news online 9 Weekly use online brands Le Figaro 8 Le Nouvel Observateur 9 Main source Direct Matin 7 Linternaute.com 8 online brands Ouest France 6 Libération online 8 Metro 6 Mediapart 8
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Television news remains the Computer Social Print most important source of news 50% 50% TV in France, although audiences are now dipping, especially with the young. Print newspapers have lower reach than 0% 0% elsewhere in Europe. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Most newspaper groups are Overall trust is amongst the lowest News I TRUST... stepping up eff orts to drive in Europe with only around a quarter 23rd/26 digital or bundled subscriptions, agreeing that the news is free from but progress is slow. political (25%) or commercial (22%) infl uence. Trust has been aff ected 32% Journalists pay for by a perception that media tycoons PAY online news known for their links with high profi le 11% politicians have interfered directly News (12th/26 countries) 29% organisations with editorial matters.
Average 28% yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £33 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 25% 22% Mostly one-off AGREE AGREE payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 42% 51% 30% 2 YouTube 21% 21% use ad blockers. 3 Twitter 8% 12% (=4th/26 countries) 45% under 35. 4 Google+ 6% 3% 5 WhatsApp 3% 4%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 40
STATISTICS ITALY Pop 61m The media environment is characterised by a strong Internet penetration 62% television sector, a weak and declining print sector, and growing use of the internet and smartphones for news.
Television viewing in Italy ranks among The press sector is less the highest in Europe and TV news concentrated than TV. Two main bulletins remain the main source of publishers, RCS (that publishes Il Corriere information, not least because overall della Sera) and Gruppo Espresso (that internet penetration is much lower than publishes centre-left La Repubblica) other developed countries.25 together account for 40% of the sector revenues.27 In March 2016, La Repubblica Although new channels have been and La Stampa, the latter owned by created in recent years, the Italian car-maker Fiat Chrysler, announced plans television sector remains highly for a merger that will lead to the creation concentrated. Almost 90% of the overall of Italy’s biggest publishing group. revenues are generated by just three companies: the pay-TV Sky Italia, the The income of Italian traditional media private group Mediaset, and the public (newspapers, TV, and radio) is declining broadcaster RAI. A fourth operator, La7, significantly (-12% between 2010 and has invested strongly in its news output, 2014), with print more dramatically but remains marginal in terms of both affected (-30%).28 Revenues within the revenue and audience share.26 online sector are growing, but they still represent a minor share of overall media The RAI-Mediaset duopoly, which is company revenues. slowly weakening, has always raised La Stampa.it and Il Sole 24 Ore.it), the concerns about pluralism of information In terms of online news, most business main private TV operators (the Mediaset’s in a country marked by strong TV models are based on advertising TgCom24.it and SkyTg24), and the viewership. In addition, the two main although there have been some main news agency (ANSA). The public operators are heavily shaped by politics. experiments with paid content. In broadcaster RAI has not yet completed The owner of Mediaset, Silvio Berlusconi, January 2016, leading Italian newspaper the transition from a broadcasting to a is still leader of one of the main Italian Il Corriere della Sera adopted a metered multichannel media company: while its political parties, while RAI programming paywall for its online news. Other TV newscasts (Tg1, Tg2, and Tg3) have the has long been subject to political newspapers, such as La Stampa and the widest offline reach, its online platforms influence. It is too early to assess business news outlet Il Sole 24 Ore, have (Rainews.it and RAI.it) are marked by whether a reform of RAI’s governance, also introduced forms of premium content below par performances. approved in December 2015, will for specialised news and databases. strengthen its independence. Digital-born players, such as Huffington According to the 2015 AGCOM report, Post Italia (12%), Fanpage (9%), and Il Newspaper readership has always the contribution of the newspapers’ Post (5%), have increased their reach, been low in Italy and the newspaper digital activities to their overall revenue but audiences are not comparable to the landscape consists of commercially weak is up from 5% in 2010 to 10% in 2014, but legacy players. Our data show that many dailies addressing an elite and politically this growth far from offsets losses from Italians also like to use news aggregators, defined audience. Consequently the traditional print operations. such as Google News (19%) and Giornali agenda of the press is often influenced (17%) (a news app for Android devices). by business and political interests – with Legacy news organisations still dominate usage online. Indeed, the websites with many Italian papers providing a partisan Alessio Cornia the widest reach are those of the main view on political, economic, and social Research Fellow, Reuters Institute developments. Italian newspapers (La Repubblica.it, Il Corriere.it, Il Fatto Quotidiano.it,
25 EAO 2015; http://www.demos.it/a01201.php. 26 AGCOM 2015 http://www.agcom.it/annual-report 27 AGCOM 2015. 28 AGCOM 2015. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 40 41/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
RAI news (Tg1, Tg2, Tg3, TgR) 64 La Repubblica online 33 Mediaset news (Tg4, Tg5, Studio Aperto) 53 TgCom24 online 28 SkyTg24 36 Sky Tg24 online 23 RaiNews24 36 Ansa online 23 Tg La7 32 Il Corriere della Serra online 21 30 21 TOP BRANDS TgCom24 Yahoo News La Repubblica 30 Il Fatto Quotidiano online 18 % Weekly usage Ballarò 29 Notizie.Libero.it 17 Il Corriere della Sera 25 La Stampa online 16 Weekly use TV, radio & print Porta a Porta 21 Il Sole 24 ore online 16 Main source Quinta colonna 21 MSN News 16 TV, radio & print La Stampa 21 RAI News online 15 Weekly use online brands Il Sole 24 Ore 18 Tg La7 online 13 Main source Commercial radio news 18 Hu ngton Post 12 online brands Piazza pulita 17 Il Giornale 11 A regional or local newspaper 17 Regional or local newspaper website 11
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Television news remains the Computer Social Print most important source of 50% 50% TV news in Italy, particularly as Italy has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in Europe. Amongst online 0% 0% users, social media has grown 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016 rapidly as a source of news.
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME The relatively high headline rate (16%) The partisanship of Italian journalism News I TRUST... masks the fact that just 4% have ongoing combined with political and business 18th/26 digital news subscriptions, with most of infl uence on media organisations has those that pay doing so through one-off led to relatively low levels of trust purchases of single editions. in the news. Trust in journalists is 42% particularly low perhaps because the Journalists most-popular Italian journalists tend to pay for clearly express their political positions News PAY 33% organisations 16% online news within their analysis or during their (6th/26 countries) participation, as guests, in talk shows. 43% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £28 23% 23% AGREE AGREE Mostly one-off payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 54% 62% 20% 2 YouTube 23% 23% use ad blockers. 3 WhatsApp 20% 22% (=22nd/26 countries) 35% under 35. 4 Twitter 10% 12% 5 Instagram 5% 9%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 42
STATISTICS SPAIN Pop 46m Two private operators dominate broadcasting, Internet penetration 77% while newspapers increasingly find audiences online, where they face strong competition from a mix of new and long-running digital natives.
The decline of paid print newspapers The site launched in October accelerated in 2015 as their circulation 2015. Former La Vanguardia decreased by 9% – just half of the editor-in-chief José Antich founded sales level in 2004 – according to the bilingual site ElNacional.cat. Other Spanish audit bureau OJD. This affected newcomers include okdiario.com, ctxt.es, newsstand sales (-10%) more than bez.es, sabemosdigital.com, and subscriptions (-4%). There was a small revista5w.com. This part of the market is decrease in broadcast listenership and still clearly led by ElConfidencial.com, viewership, while the internet gained with Eldiario.es, Público.es, and El almost 2.5 million daily users, up to Huffington Post also doing well in 26.5 million, according to the EGM study terms of reach. Vozpópuli, founded in by AIMC.29 Newspaper sites were the 2011, made a profit (€152,551) for the most visited. first time in 2015, joining other digital natives already in the black such as El País is Spain’s number one print and El Confidencial and eldiario.es. These online brand. Editor-in-chief Antonio digital native successes may be driven by Caño recently said that it will become the ongoing loss of human capital at all ‘an essentially digital newspaper’, levels of many traditional newsrooms and with more video and more coverage the users’ desire for a broader spectrum from the Americas, but that they will of views and news. ‘continue publishing a print edition that to be switched off before their content is of the highest quality for as long as Private groups Mediaset and Atresmedia can be accessed. is possible’.30 David Jiménez took over dominate the television sector. Between as editor-in-chief of second-place El them they reach 60% of the audience, Google Search continues to be a Mundo – which launched the Sunday 86% of advertising revenues, with net gateway for news even though the supplement Papel – and Juan Ignacio profits of €162m and €99m in 2015. News service is not available in Spain, Gallardo was given the same role at The president of market regulator following a 2014 law that forces leading sports paper Marca. The print CNMC called this a ‘disturbing duopoly’.31 publishers to charge aggregators for business still provided 80% of newspaper Atresmedia owns the two most popular displaying snippets of stories. Major revenues in 2015. broadcast news brands: Antena 3 and sites are publishing via Facebook Instant La Sexta. Most PSBs, in particular state- Articles and have gone on experimenting Heraldo de Aragón bought 20 minutos owned TVE and its news operation, with WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, from Schibsted, thus acquiring the third increasingly struggled to reach some Periscope, and Snapchat for coverage, most-read newspaper website, and the sectors of the audience, especially interaction, and distribution, as well as only remaining major freesheet, with half younger groups. producing highlights graphics and short of its print distribution concentrated in videos specifically for social media. Madrid and the rest in six other cities. Advertising revenues grew by 8% Digital publishers have adapted to Two women were appointed editors- in 2015, according to Infoadex. The mobile and social consumption with in-chief of the two most-read Catalan- increase was driven by television (+7%), responsive design websites and the language news sites: Karma Peiró at the internet (+12%) and radio (+8%), launch of viral-friendly sections that NacióDigital and Esther Vera at Ara. whereas print managed to remain flat play with the curiosity gap. after several years of falling revenue. The digital native sector saw ElEspañol. Our survey shows that 28% of users, Samuel Negredo, Alfonso Vara and com raise €3.6 million from over including 44% of adults under 35, use Avelino Amoedo 5,000 investors, in the most successful ad-blockers. Some sites, including Center for Internet Studies and journalism crowdfunding campaign ever. El Confidencial, already ask for them Digital Life, University of Navarra
29 http://www.aimc.es/-Datos-EGM-Resumen-General-.html 30 http://elpais.com/elpais/2016/03/04/inenglish/1457078700_070078.html 31 http://www.infolibre.es/noticias/medios/2016/02/25/mediaset_atresmedia_logran_multiplicar_sus_beneficios_este_ano_con_respecto_los_2014_45500_1027.html ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 42 43/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Antena 3 news 55 El País online 34 LaSexta news 46 El Mundo online 28 TVE news 42 Antena 3 news online 23 Telecinco news 36 20 Minutos online 21 Cuatro news 35 El Confidencial 20 27 18 TOP BRANDS El País Marca online El Mundo 21 El Diario 17 % Weekly usage Cadena SER news 20 Yahoo News 17 Regional or local TV news 19 MSN News 16 Weekly use TV, radio & print 20 Minutos 17 LaSexta news online 16 Main source Regional or local paper 14 RTVE news online 16 TV, radio & print Marca 14 ABC online 15 Weekly use online brands COPE news 14 Hungton Post 14 Main source RNE news 12 Local/Regional paper website 13 online brands Onda Cero news 12 Público 13 ABC 11 El Periódico online 13
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Smartphones have been Computer Social Print enthusiastically embraced in 50% 50% TV Spain with further signifi cant growth over the last year. Majority use is for cheaper Android devices rather than 0% 0% Apple iPhones. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Digital newsstands sell electronic Over half (53%) of users in Spain don’t News I TRUST... versions of newspapers but otherwise think that the media are independent 12th/26 most online news is supported by from undue political infl uence, advertising with few publishers with government control of PSBs operating paywalls. an ongoing issue. Over half (51%) 47% are also concerned about fi nancial Journalists dependence on big advertisers, pay for owners, and creditors. Ideological bias, News PAY 35% organisations 10% online news partiality, and loaded language are key (=13th/26 countries) drivers of mistrust according to our focus group participants. 43% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £40 23% 22% AGREE AGREE Mostly one-off payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 49% 59% 28% 2 YouTube 19% 27% use ad blockers. 3 WhatsApp 26% 28% (6th/26 countries) 44% under 35. 4 Twitter 19% 19% 5 Google+ 6% 3%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 44
STATISTICS PORTUGAL Pop 10m The news media environment in Portugal is Internet penetration 68% characterised by a high reliance on television news sources, a weakening print media sector and a radio sector that struggles to remain relevant. We also see a focus on television-centred business strategies and a decreasing number of journalists in newsrooms.
In television, private broadcasters SIC the news landscape. While other radio and TVI are the dominant brands, either stations in Portugal also provide news, through their TV channels or news these three brands combine music and channels (‘SIC Notícias’, the first 24/7 news – an approach that seems to news channel launched in Portugal, work well in the Portuguese market and ‘TVI 24’). The Portuguese public both in terms of advertising revenues broadcaster, RTP, is also an important and audiences. player offering two channels and a dedicated news one (‘RTP 3’, former Five media groups dominate the news ‘RTP Informação’) – following a in Portugal. Besides the public TV and successful rebranding with improved radio broadcaster RTP, groups such as audience figures. COFINA (Correio da Manhã – TV and newspaper, Negócios – newspaper), In terms of print news, Jornal de Notícias Global Media (Jornal de Notícias, DN – and Correio da Manhã confirm their newspapers and TSF – radio), IMPRESA status as key reference brands. The (Expresso – newspaper and SIC – latter, a popular tabloid paper, has TV channels), and PRISA (TVI – several The online media brands show the entered the television business with TV channels) provide the majority of distinctive nature of the Portuguese a successful new cable TV news offer news production in Portugal, both market. Two of the top five spots go Correio da Manhã TV. Other traditional offline and online. to SAPO, owned by major Portuguese print media outlets such as Económico, telecom carrier (PT). SAPO hosts some Portugal has seen a reduction in that abandoned its print edition in early media outlets such as online SIC numbers of 1,218 journalists between 2016, and A Bola (a sports newspaper) Notícias (the cable news TV channel) 2007 and early 2015. The media industry have also invested in TV channels, which and the online versions of several now employs just 5,621 journalists – are seen as a more lucrative investment newspapers and magazines, and it also an all time low. Unemployment and than either print or online. publishes original content of its own the widespread use of trainees in through the Sapo.pt portal. In fourth The news market in Portugal has newsrooms are two emerging trends place we find another news aggregator, been unable – despite a recovery in for 2016. ‘noticiasaominuto.com’ that offers edited advertising revenues – to counter the contents from other news outlets. decrease in other revenues obtained The past year has seen a significant rise in smartphone use for news (+15), through premium telephone numbers Gustavo Cardoso and as well as a strong increase in social in television contests, loss of paid Ana Pinto Martinho media for news. subscriptions, and falling revenues in ISCTE, University Institute of Lisbon renewal of cable TV distribution licences. This year’s data show a media Also of importance for the financial environment characterised by the offline health of the Portuguese media sector dominance of private television channels is its exposure to debt and low stock (SIC and TVI) and online by television market values. brands (SIC), telecom brands (SAPO), an As for radio broadcasters, TSF, Rádio internet-only brand (Noticias ao minuto) Renascença (private) and Antena 1 (public and in the next three places newspapers broadcaster) play a significant role in (Jornal de Notícias, Público, and Correio da Manhã). ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 44 45/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
SIC News 72 SIC News online 46 TVI News 62 TVI News online 38 RTP/RDP News 44 Sapo News 36 Jornal de Notícias 27 Notícias ao Minuto 34 Correio da Manhã 25 Jornal de Notícias online 34 20 31 TOP BRANDS TSF Público online Público 18 Correio da Manhã online 31 % Weekly usage Expresso 17 Expresso online 25 Diário de Notícias 14 Diário de Notícias online 24 Weekly use TV, radio & print Regional or local paper 13 RTP/RDP News online 19 Main source Rádio Renascença 13 Observador online 18 TV, radio & print A Bola 12 A Bola online 17 Weekly use online brands Euronews 11 MSN News 16 Main source Correio da Manhã TV 11 Diário Económico online 15 online brands Record 10 Jornal de Negócios online 15 O Jogo 9 Record online 14
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Payment for online news in Portugal These data confi rm other studies News I TRUST... remains low (9%), with slow growth showing high levels of trust in the 2nd/26 in digital and bundled subscriptions. news and journalists in Portugal.32 This may relate to a strong tradition of press freedom, which is guaranteed 60% Journalists PAY under the constitution following the 9% 1974 revolution. This round of data pay for online news is particularly relevant as 2015 was News (=16th/26 countries) 47% organisations marked by several important political changes in the Portuguese Parliament Average and Republic Presidency. 53% yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £21 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence
Half and half: 26% 24% AGREE AGREE one-off and ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 26% 72% 23% 49% use ad blockers. (-6) (+2) (+15) (=8th/26 countries) 42% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 82% 37% 47% 1 Facebook 63% 65% (-3) (-5) (–) 2 YouTube 17% 16% 3 Google+ 7% 3%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 LinkedIn 6% 5% 66% 88% 5 Twitter 5% 5% (+5) (+2) *used weekly for news
32 ‘A Sociedade em Rede em Portugal’, CIES-IUL/Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 46
STATISTICS IRELAND Pop 4.5m Irish titles have increased their reach with revenue Internet penetration 83% streams stabilising, while digital news is on the rise with increasing numbers consuming on their mobile phones.
There have been a number of changes The reach of most legacy brands in the corporate structure of leading Irish fell in their traditional operations, news organisations over the last year. however UTV Ireland bucked the Independent News & Media (INM) sold negative trend with a 2% increase. its interests in Australia, clearing debts While the reach of public service and increasing reserves. It also bought broadcaster RTE fell (-7) in TV news and four magazines in Northern Ireland while (-3) in radio, it increased digital reach by announcing the closure of its Belfast (+11). RTE is three years into the five-year printing press in June 2016 due to the strategy and has continued to push continued decline in print sales as well developments across multiple platforms as the end of the contract. INM titles such and devices, with its app accounting as the Irish Independent, the Herald, for about 40% of its digital traffic (RTE the Sunday World, Sunday Life, and the Annual Report 2014). Ireland has one of Belfast Telegraph all utilised the press. the highest penetrations of smartphones in the world, the highest in Europe UTV Ireland, along with UTV NI, was (Statcounter) fuelled in part by adoption acquired by the UK’s largest commercial by younger demographics. network, ITV, for €135m in February 2016, along with other entities such as radio Free news continues to create a climate station talkSPORT, digital operations averse to digital subscriptions. The top Tibus (digital infrastructure), and Simply three online news brands are the public use ad-blockers to protect against Zesty (digital marketing). service broadcaster, RTE, digital-born unwanted commercial intrusions, one thejournal.ie, and the independent of the highest levels in Europe. Despite More telecoms operators moved into online which all offer news that is free to this, the level of digital advertising broadcast: Virgin Media’s parent group consumers. Despite this, some publishers across the 16 NewsBrands Ireland titles Liberty Mobile acquired TV3 in a have been experimenting with paid (NBI, formerly National Newspapers €87m deal which also saw UPC rebrand content. The Irish Times metered paywall Ireland, digital and print titles) is to Virgin Media Ireland. Eir (formerly has been in operation for just over one growing steadily. Between January Eircom) bought Irish satellite channel year and still reported an increase in and September 2015 revenue from Setanta Sports. overall traffic (Joint National Readership advertising was up 3.75% on the same Survey, JNRS). The Irish Sun, which There was also expansion by Irish period last year (NBI Data Centre). is behind a full paywall, also saw an companies into the UK. Communicorp increase in digital readership and Times Jane Suiter and Niamh Kirk invested in the British market with Newspapers UK expanded its digital Dublin City University. acquisitions of eight radio stations from operations in Ireland with the Sunday the Global Radio Group. Irish digital- Times adding a daily paid-for edition. born publishers Maximum Media, which operate entertainment sites joe.ie and The high level of free advertiser- her.ie, expanded into the UK with offices subsidised digital news in Ireland has in Manchester and London. had a multifaceted impact. Some 30% ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 46 47/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
RTE News 59 RTE News online 42 Sky News 32 Irish Independent/Herald online 36 BBC News 30 Journal.ie 34 Irish Independent/Herald 25 Irish Times online 29 TV3 News 24 BreakingNews.ie 24 21 22 TOP BRANDS Local Radio News BBC News online Irish Times 21 Sky News online 19 % Weekly usage Today FM news 20 Her.ie/joe.ie 16 Newstalk 20 Local radio news online 15 Weekly use TV, radio & print Sunday Independent 16 Yahoo News 14 Main source Regional or local paper 14 Irish Examiner online 13 TV, radio & print UTV Ireland/NI news 13 MSN News 11 Weekly use online brands ITV or Channel 4 News 11 Mail Online 11 Main source The Sunday Times 10 Hu ngton Post 11 online brands CNN 8 Local/Regional paper website 10 Irish Daily Mail 8 Guardian online 10
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Wide availability of free news – including from This is an election year, with increased News I TRUST... UK brands – has made Irish readers reluctant coverage adding to public scrutiny of =9th/26 to pay for online news. The introduction of the media through social media. Other some soft paywalls and premium content issues that may have directly impacted means the headline rate is edging higher. on public trust include injunctions 50% by media owners against the press, Journalists PAY which failed to suppress public record 9% documents. There were also legal News 37% organisations pay for online news disputes with the government and (=16th/26 countries) individual politicians, and revelations of journalists’ phones and records being 47% Average spied on by police. yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £28 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 33% 29% AGREE AGREE Mostly one-off payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 30% 72% 23% 59% use ad blockers. (-2) (+1) (+7) (=4th/26 countries) 43% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 73% 48% 47% 1 Facebook 45% 56% (-3) (-2) (-3) 2 YouTube 17% 17% 3 Twitter 13% 15%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 WhatsApp 7% 12% 52% 84% 5 LinkedIn 4% 4% (+3) (+1) *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 48
STATISTICS NORWAY Pop 5m The Norwegian media environment mixes strong Internet penetration 96% national commercial and public service media companies with a reputation for digital innovation in content and business models.
Online and offline, the market is 2016, Schibsted Chairman Ole dominated by the tabloids VG and Jacob Sunde called for a new Dagbladet, the quality title Aftenposten, alliance between Norwegian publishers and two national broadcasters NRK and to counter this threat – including TV2. Regional and local papers also collaboration over content, distribution, play a significant role in a country with and sharing of user data.35 large distances and strong local identity. Overall, print has been suffering with an Another leading publisher, Amedia, which ageing readership and falling circulation owns 62 local and regional papers, has – down 8.5% in 2015, with tabloids worst also suffered reduced revenue, but profits affected. Print remains the main source of are up 20% following cuts to operating revenue for media companies, as online costs and the sale of some titles. In 2016 growth has stagnated. Amedia was bought by the foundation Sparebankstiftelsen, which has promised Schibsted is the leading publisher in both to keep the group together. Norway and neighbouring Sweden – combining multiplatform content creation Norwegians are getting used to paying with a successful classifieds business, for online content with widespread which is now active in 21 countries. bundling of digital access with existing Despite increasing market dominance paper subscriptions. The tabloid sector operates a freemium model with 70,000 online, especially in mobile, powerhouse Meanwhile, the main public broadcaster paying customers for the premium VG+ VG did not meet revenue targets and is NRK is facing political and funding service and 14,000 for the Dagbladet cutting costs and staff, for the first time pressures, similar to those in other equivalent (DB+). in six years. Norwegian Schibsted media countries. Around 300 jobs have gone earnings were down 26% in 2015.33 Many publishers are cautious about over the last two years (about 9% of the More widely, Schibsted has been new micropayment services for total) due to reductions in licence fee consolidating and reorganising its media fear of undermining more lucrative income and the Norwegian Parliament operation with a technology, data, and subscriptions, but they have moved into is currently considering a new NRK audience focus, cutting ad sales staff, branded and sponsored content in 2015. charter. The main issues are related to centralising product development and This has led to concerns around the modernising the TV-based financing many non-content functions. labelling of sponsored content, with VG model and addressing commercial media’s concerns around NRK’s strong Number two tabloid Dagbladet has criticised twice by the ethical board of market position (86% daily reach36). also cut staff in the past year, with an Norwegian media. announcement in November 2015 that In digital-born media, Filter Nyheter FM radio will be switched off by 2017 up to 65 further jobs would go. It axed launched in 2016 with a business and will be replaced by DAB+ and online comments below its online articles, saying model based on sponsored and distribution. This might prove challenging, that the debate had now ‘moved to social branded content. In addition to original especially in cars, which today account media’, and was the first Norwegian investigative journalism, this popular for a large share of listening. publisher to distribute through Facebook newsletter aggregates content from Meanwhile, it’s been a year of Instant Articles. other media and distributes them via podcasting in Norway, with many media houses experimenting with the format, The issue of digital intermediaries has Facebook Instant Articles, email, and both in-house and by commission. become a hot topic for publishers, not a WordPress site. Other notable start-ups are Medier24, financed by least because Facebook and Google Anders Hofseth together now account for around 20% job listings, and Vio Media, a self- Reuters Institute Journalist Fellow of the entire ad market.34 In February styled ‘Netflix for magazines’. (and NRK)
33 http://journalisten.no/2016/02/schibsted-varsler-fortsatte-kostnadskutt 34 http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/Schibsted-topp-varsler-felles-kamp-mot-Facebook-og-Google-8368674.html 35 Ibid. 36 http://www.medienorge.uib.no/statistikk/medium/avis/368 ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 48 49/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
NRK News 61 VG Nett online 64 VG 53 Dagbladet online 46 TV2 News 53 NRK News Online 45 Dagbladet 37 TV2 news online 44 Aftenposten 30 Aftenposten online 35 29 31 TOP BRANDS Local or regional paper Nettavisen P4 news 26 Local/Regional paper websites 25 % Weekly usage Radio Norge news 18 Dagens Næringsliv online 18 Local radio news 17 Bergens Tidende online 13 Weekly use TV, radio & print Dagens Næringsliv 15 ABCnyheter 13 Main source Local TV news 13 Adresseavisen online 9 TV, radio & print Bergens Tidende 12 BBC News online 8 Weekly use online brands BBC News 8 Hu ngton Post 8 Main source Adresseavisa 8 P4 news online 7 online brands CNN 7 Mail Online 7 Dagsavisen 6 Dagsavisen online 7
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Newspaper readership and subscription Norway has average levels of News I TRUST... has traditionally been high in Norway and trust with low levels of political =13th/26 this has helped with the transition to online polarisation in the media. Trust where payment levels are the highest of may have been aff ected by all our Digital News Report countries. several factors in 2015: the growth 46% of sponsored content, clickbait Journalists tendencies in online media, or the scandal around a journalist News PAY 32% organisations 27% systematically plagiarising content. pay for online news (=1st/26 countries) 42%
Average yearly THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue payment FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £41 45% 37% AGREE AGREE Mostly ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 23% 66% 36% 64% use ad blockers. (=15th/26 countries) 40% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 72% 47% 41% 1 Facebook 45% 50% 2 YouTube 9% 10%
3 Twitter 7% 9%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Instagram 4% 6% 54% 86% 5 Snapchat 4% 7% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 50
STATISTICS SWEDEN Pop 10m The news ecology in Sweden has long been Internet penetration 95% characterised by strong public service broadcasters and a large number of local quality newspapers, but is increasingly marked by weaker news organisations having much of their reach through mobile and social media.
In 2015 the three PSBs together received years. One key event in March 2015 a total of around 8 billion Swedish krona was the closure of Mittmedia-owned (just under €1billion) in licence fees, with newspaper Dagbladet, which had been just a minor part being spent on news. in operation for 115 years, and was The national television broadcaster merged with another title Sundsvalls TV4 continues to be one of the most Tidning. There were also launches of financially successful in Scandinavia, online-only local news initiatives, such improving its financial results by 3% as Journalistik 24. at the same time as reducing its news output. Televised news from SVT and Swedish newspaper groups operate TV4 is still the most popular among a variety of strategies to get people to Swedes, closely followed by online news. pay for news online. Only newspapers within the Gota Media group require The newspaper sector – the backbone of subscription for all original news content. the Swedish news ecology – continued Other newspapers such as Aftonbladet to lose circulation (down 6%) along with charge for specific premium content, with print advertising revenues (down 15%). its so-called Plus subscription. Several Newspapers had a 15% share of the newspapers also offer e-paper versions sites, and applications for many years.39 expanding advertising pie in 2015 (32.9 of their newspapers, with Dagens Aftonbladet and Expressen both billion SEK/€3.5billion), with web and Nyheter, Göteborgs-Posten, and Svenska have the majority of their online news mobile now accounting for almost 40% Dagbladet amongst the most successful accessed via mobile devices. Aftonbladet of total spend. in attracting subscribers.37 has held an uncontested number Major newspaper titles are owned A major concern for publishers has one position for online news since by large media companies/groups been the fast adoption of ad-blocking in launching its news site in 1994: a result such as Bonnier (Dagens Nyheter and Sweden (27%), one of the highest rates in of substantial and consistent investment Expressen), Schibsted (Aftonbladet and our international survey (seventh place). in online journalism – even during Svenska Dagbladet), and Stampen Media In response 90% of publishers have economic downturns. Schibsted-owned Group (Göteborgs-Posten). Stampen, signed up to a plan to collectively block Omni is a popular mobile news website which owns a dozen newspapers and all content from people using ad-blockers and app (10% reach) which aggregates other media companies, showed the as part of a wider educational initiative news from Swedish and international most dramatic financial improvement, about the damage that may be caused news media. reporting a profit of 66 million SEK/€7.2m to journalism.38 in 2015, compared to a 2014 loss of Oscar Westlund 553 million SEK/€60m. However, A key finding in the survey data is that Associate Professor, Department of Stampen remains burdened by debt Swedes – alongside the populations Journalism, Media and Communication, and is struggling to survive. Mittmedia of South Korea and Switzerland – turn University of Gothenburg owns 28 newspapers and made a profit to their smartphone for news more of 137 million SEK/€14m in 2015, yet than computers. This is partly because has announced plans to cut 130 staff, Swedish legacy news media have been including 90 journalists in the next few developing mobile news services,
37 Medieborgarna & medierna: En digital värld av rättigheter, skyldigheter – möjligheter och ansvar. Stockholm: Elanders, SOU 2015: 94. 38 http://digiday.com/publishers/swedens-publishers-gearing-block-ad-blockers/ 39 O. Westlund, ’Mobile News: A Review and Model of Journalism in an Age of Mobile Media’, Digital Journalism, 1/1 (2013): 6–26. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 50 51/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
SVT news 57 Aftonbladet online 55 TV4 news 50 Expressen online 38 SR news 40 Dagens Nyheter online 25 Aftonbladet 19 SR news online 24 Metro 16 Svenska Dagbladet online 22 15 21 TOP BRANDS A regional or local newspaper TV4 news online Expressen 14 Regional or local paper website 19 % Weekly usage Dagens Nyheter 13 Göteborgs-Posten online 16 Svenska Dagbladet 12 Nyheter 24 16 Weekly use TV, radio & print Göteborgs-Posten 9 Dagens Industri online 14 Main source Dagens Industri 8 SVT News Online 13 TV, radio & print CNN 8 Sydsvenska Dagbladet online 10 Weekly use online brands BBC News 7 Metro online 10 Main source Sydsvenska Dagbladet 5 BBC News online 8 online brands Broadcasters/papers from outside Sweden 4 CNN online 7 Uppsala Nya Tidning 2 MSN News 6
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Many newspapers have some form One possible explanation for relatively News I TRUST... of paywall for online news, which low trust scores is the growth in right- =19th/26 helps explain why Sweden has one wing groups known for criticising legacy highest rates of payment (20%) in news media, and who are increasingly this year’s survey. turning to so-called alternative media 40% (e.g. social media). In other surveys, we Journalists PAY see a signifi cant gap between news 20% media deemed trusted (typically SVT, News 25% organisations pay for online news SR, or a newspaper they personally (=4th/26 countries) subscribe to) and media that is not trusted (typically tabloid newspapers). 36% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £43 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 30% 28% AGREE AGREE Mostly ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 27% 64% 34% 69% use ad blockers. (7th/26 countries) 41% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 72% 47% 43% 1 Facebook 42% 43% 2 YouTube 11% 13%
3 Twitter 8% 10%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Instagram 5% 6% 56% 89% 5 LinkedIn 3% 3% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 52
STATISTICS FINLAND Pop 5.5m The media environment in Finland is characterised Internet penetration 94% by a strong regional press, a strong public broadcaster (YLE), one important national daily (Helsingin Sanomat), and two popular evening tabloids, both reaching half of the population online.
Print circulations have continued their YLE’s funding criticised by the decline in 2015. This is a serious problem opposition. Meanwhile a parliamentary for newspaper companies, because most working group is reviewing YLE’s mission of their revenue still comes from print. and funding against the backdrop of The biggest daily newspaper, Helsingin criticism from private publishers over its Sanomat lost 6% of its circulation, and strength in digital. the second biggest daily, Aamulehti, also lost 6%.40 Advertising expenditure Newspapers in Finland have differing in printed newspapers decreased 8% strategies regarding paid online news. while total media advertising spend was The evening tabloids have mostly down 2%, and online advertising up 7%.41 free offerings while two thirds of daily The turnover of listed Finnish media newspapers use paywalls. They are companies is also falling, with Sanoma easing their print readers’ way into digital Media Finland reporting a reduction of by offering bundled subscriptions at a 10% and Alma Media down 1%. The listed similar price to – or just a little higher – media companies, however, continue to than print-only subscriptions. They are be profitable, the operating profit income also looking for the right digital-only ranging from 2% (Sanoma Media Finland) price point, which can vary from to 11% (Ilkka).42 35% (Etelä-Saimaa) to 73% (Iisalmen Sanomat) of the cost of a bundled At the beginning of 2016, Finland’s Traditional Finnish media companies subscription.44 With reasonably priced biggest commercial broadcaster MTV, have sustained their strong audience digital services, Finnish media companies together with a number of partner position in online with limited competition are continuing to reach out to those who companies (mainly with a background in from home-grown pure player Uusisuomi.fi are no longer willing to pay for print. newspapers), established a new video (10% weekly reach) and popular news network that offers MTV’s videos for aggregator Ampparit.com (11%).43 The In 2015, Alma Media underwent some the partner companies’ use. It also sells Finnish language and small market seem major corporate restructuring. It sold advertising into the videos produced to shield national news brands somewhat some of its less profitable regional by the partner companies. This new from international competition. Other newspapers and merged with Talentum, network competes with Sanoma’s Ruutu reasons for the popularity of traditional the publisher of some leading magazines video network and with international Finnish media companies online are the specialising in financial news and competitors like Google and Facebook. amount of free content still available technology. Alma Media already (especially the evening tabloids and YLE) owned a leading business newspaper, Esa Reunanen combined with soft paywalls, bundled Kauppalehti, and the merger now University of Tampere, Finland subscriptions, and the strong Finnish strengthens Alma Media’s position as reading tradition. a provider of economic and business journalism. Sanoma, for its part, is selling YLE’s position was actively debated in its regional newspapers in Eastern 2015 with the government’s decision Finland to a local publisher and it has to freeze the index-linked increase in recently also sold many of its magazines.
40 http://mediaauditfinland.fi/ 41 https://www.tns-gallup.fi/sites/default/files/press_release_media_advertising_expenditure_year_2015_finland_.pdf 42 Without non-recurring items and without Ilkka’s share of Alma Media. Source: Suomen Lehdistö 2/2016. 43 Although Uusisuomi.fi has adopted its name from a former newspaper it is a new enterprise and is classified here as a pure player. 44 According to a recent survey that included newspapers that offer subscriptions and appear six or seven times a week. Source: Suomen Lehdistö 1/2016. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 52 53/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Yle News 70 Ilta-Sanomat online 60 MTV3 News 58 Iltalehti online 58 Regional or local paper 35 Yle News online 44 Free city paper 32 Helsingin Sanomat online 36 Helsingin Sanomat 23 MTV news online 32 22 26 TOP BRANDS Ilta-Sanomat Regional or local paper website Iltalehti 19 Taloussanomat online 21 % Weekly usage Commercial radio news 18 Kauppalehti online 18 HSTV news on Channel 4 9 Uusi Suomi online 10 Weekly use TV, radio & print Kauppalehti 7 Website of a free city paper 8 Main source Foreign TV news channels 4 Website of a foreign newspaper 8 TV, radio & print BBC News 4 Website of foreign TV news 6 Weekly use online brands CNN 3 BBC News online 5 Main source Maaseudun Tulevaisuus 3 MSN News 5 online brands Hufvudstadsbladet 2 Commercial radio online news 5 Other foreign newspapers 1 Channel 4 news online 4
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2014–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2014–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social)Online (incl. social) Finnish people have Computer Social Print embraced online media, 50% 50% TV but not at the expense of broadcast news. The printed newspaper sector is declining more slowly than 0% 0% elsewhere due to a strong 2014 2015 2016 2014 2015 2016 reading culture.
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME A strong tradition of subscription has made Mainstream news organisations in News I TRUST... it easier to transition to paid content online. Finland are not politically partisan and 1st/26 But growth is slow and of those not already journalists have a strong professional paying, three quarters (74%) say they would culture that values objectivity and not do so in the future. independence. The heated debate 65% around immigration policy, however, Journalists has somewhat challenged the trust %pay for in the media’s neutrality. On the News PAY 51% organisations 15online news other hand, this same debate has (=7th/26 countries) also highlighted the news media’s role as a trustworthy alternative to 47% disinformation online. Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £40 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 47% 41% AGREE AGREE Mostly ongoing payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 34% 42% 24% 2 YouTube 9% 8% use ad blockers. 3 Twitter 6% 9% (=12th/26 countries) 39% under 35. 4 WhatsApp 6% 10% 5 Suomi 24 5% 2%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 54
STATISTICS DENMARK Pop 5.5m The media environment continues to be Internet penetration 96% characterised by strong public service broadcasters (DR and TV2) and a strong national press, but the presence of public service media online is under increasing pressure from private media and government politicians.
In the newspaper sector, industry seem to have consolidated their role readership figures indicate that the in the media scene through continued steady decline in printed newspaper but modest growth in readership. sales stabilised in 2015, however International digital-born players like average figures conceal significant BuzzFeed and the Huffington Post hardly differences between titles that have register in Danish readership surveys. seen readership growth and those titles that continue to decline. Public service as well as private news producers (with the exception of The acquisition of Denmark’s oldest metroxpress) remain sceptical that the newspaper group Berlingske by the advantages of embracing the news Belgian De Persgroep resulted in initiatives of global operators like substantial staff layoffs, the selling Facebook Instant Articles and Apple of its local and regional newspapers, News will eventually outweigh the and a ‘superbrand’ strategy disadvantages of giving up distribution concentrating on the three national titles control over their news products. Berlingske (quality), BT (tabloid), and Weekendavisen (weekly niche paper). As the willingness to pay for online especially licence-financed DR. The Another consequence was the closing news grows only incrementally, there change of government from a centre- of the Berlingske news agency, leaving has been increasing concern about the left coalition to a centre-right one in Ritzau as the sole Danish operator with rapid take-up of ad-blocker software 2015 brought politicians to power who this function. (now used by 24%) and its adverse effects on news producers’ business are more responsive to the arguments The flipside of Berlingske’s sell-off has models. One counter measure from news of private interests, making future been the substantial growth of the providers has been the development of regulation, or self-regulation, of DR’s regional-local conglomerate Jysk Fynske advertorial content strategies by some news services a not unlikely scenario. Medier, which has become a strong, newspapers, amidst warnings that this The newcomer (2012) public service talk and in many places the sole, actor in may in the long run jeopardise news radio channel 24syv has now attained its provincial Denmark, as well as being credibility among readers. goal of reaching half a million listeners the nation’s second largest newspaper per week, perhaps reflecting the general operator after JP/Politiken. The use of social media for news continues to soar, with other social media increase in radio listening after years of Thanks to the reformed media subsidy operators dwarfed by Facebook as the slow decline. scheme, a number of new digital-born unrivalled market leader in Denmark. The Danes’ belief in the relative political players have emerged on the newspaper and commercial independence of their scene, with Zetland and Føljeton as the PSB news providers continue to lose news media may owe its existence to most ambitious and innovative attempts audiences for their offline products – TV the fact that, alongside prominent arm’s to rejuvenate online journalism through more so than radio – but still attract more length-based public service media, background and in-depth coverage from than half the population on a weekly most Danish newspapers are run by non-conventional angles of a handful of basis, and almost two-fifths consider not-for-profit foundations. selected issues every day. The coming them jointly as their main offline news brand. This decrease is more than year will see a testing of the sustainability Kim Christian Schrøder and counter-balanced by the growth in of their no-advertising, subscription- Mark Ørsten users online, where private newspapers’ based business models. Roskilde University fears of being outcompeted have led to Older Danish digital-born news providers repeated calls for politicians to curb the (dagens.dk, avisen.dk, altinget.dk) online services of public service media, ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 54 55/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
DR News (inc. P1, P4, etc.) 71 DR News online 49 TV2 News (inc. regional news) 64 TV2 news online 44 Local free weekly newspaper 21 EkstraBladet online 32 Metroxpres 16 BT online 27 Søndagsavisen 14 Politiken online 23 14 19 TOP BRANDS Local or regional newspaper Jyllandsposten online Radio 24syv news 10 Free local weekly paper website 18 % Weekly usage Commercial radio news 9 Berlingske online 18 Politiken 9 Local or regional paper website 15 Weekly use TV, radio & print BT 9 Børsen online 11 Main source Jyllandsposten 8 Metroxpress 10 TV, radio & print Berlingske 8 Information.dk 9 Weekly use online brands Ekstrabladet 8 Dagens.dk 9 Main source Børsen 5 Avisen.dk 8 online brands Fagblade 5 Radio24syv news online 8 BBC News 4 Sondagsavisen online 7
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Denmark has adopted Computer Social Print smartphones and tablets faster 50% 50% TV than in many other countries with online overall now ahead of TV news. Print newspapers sell
fewer copies than elsewhere in 0% 0% the Nordic region. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Danish newspaper groups, which The low level of trust in journalists may News I TRUST... compete online with free content be due to a number of recent highly =13th/26 from strong broadcast players, use publicised scandals. For example, a a pragmatic mix of soft paywalls sports journalist was recently revealed and premium content models to to have produced hundreds of fake 46% drive revenue. news reports for a national tabloid Journalists and several magazines, and several pay for journalists have been accused of News PAY 33% organisations 15% online news plagiarising news from international (=7th/26 countries) media sources. 47% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £32 40% 34% AGREE AGREE Mostly ongoing payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 43% 48% 24% 2 YouTube 7% 10% use ad blockers. 3 LinkedIn 5% 3% (=12th/26 countries) 39% under 35. 4 Twitter 4% 5% 5 Instagram 2% 4%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 56
STATISTICS BELGIUM Pop 11m Belgium is a small media market, further fragmented Internet penetration 85% by language. It effectively has two distinct publishing sectors for the French and Flemish speaking populations, which account respectively for 33% and 57% of the national population.45
The past year has been marked by a where only financial newspaper number of media titles changing hands, L’Echo (+0.7%) grew readership and resulting in the major Belgian news and La Dernière Heure (-8.7%) and Le Soir media groups consolidating their position (-5.2%) are amongst the heavy losers.46 at home and abroad. The catalyst was The historically strong orientation of the a decision by the Finnish media group public to French media brands might Sanoma to run down its Belgian activities, offer an explanation for this difference. after years of consecutive decline in magazine advertising revenues. Two Against this background it is not well-established but struggling Dutch- surprising that publishers have been language magazines Humo and Story looking at consolidation and cost- were sold to De Persgroep, which saw cutting, raising fresh concerns about job the group acquiring its main competitors losses, media pluralism, and editorial in this segment. independence. The Mediahuis purchase of NRC Media comes only one year after At the same time, Belgian media groups the group emerged from the merger of De Persgroep and Mediahuis directed Concentra and Corelio, which saw one in their gaze at the Netherlands, with the five jobs lost. Sanoma’s exit has resulted former buying Dutch regional media in 65 lay-offs while De Persgroep has group Wegener in 2014 and the latter started to actively exchange news restrictions after a complaint by the buying NRC Media in 2015. Meanwhile articles between its Dutch and Flemish newspaper publishers to the the Rossel group, which publishes titles. Recently, it launched Topics, a European Commission. Le Soir amongst other papers, focused news app that offers subscribers a its attention on France, where it acquired Spotify-style all-you-can-read offering Belgium, being a small market – itself a 49.3% stake in free newspaper of articles coming from all its Dutch and made up of two smaller regional 20 Minutes. Flemish newspapers. markets – with plenty of news titles, is still short of successful digital-born These changes took place against the The economic climate has also impacted media brands. Even so, Dutch-language backdrop of a continuing decline in on Dutch- and French-language public BuzzFeed-like news site Newsmonkey newspaper and magazine readership. broadcasters VRT and RTBF, both of was launched in early 2014 by former All newspapers in Belgium sold fewer which face severe budget cuts in the print journalists. It ended 2015 with a copies than the year before, though coming years. VRT still holds a strong record of 1.9m unique monthly visitors some were able to report rises in total position in the Flemish offline news (6% in Flanders)47 and has also now readership, when factoring in digital market, but has struggled to translate this launched a French-language version of editions. Dutch-language titles Het into digital readership. Following VRT’s the site. Newsmonkey offers a mix of Belang van Limburg, (+0.7%), De Morgen renegotiation of its agreement with the free news aimed at a younger audience (+2.7%), De Tijd (+2.1%) and Gazet van Flemish government, commercial media and regularly experiments by offering Antwerpen (+0.1%) grew slightly. De groups have been stepping up pressure content through Periscope, Snapchat, Standaard (-0.3%), Het Nieuwsblad on VRT to limit its online activities around and WhatsApp. (-1.3%) and Het Laatste Nieuws (-1.9%) news. The new management agreement lost readers, even if the latter two remain requires VRT to focus on the digital Ike Picone the top online news brands. development of its existing audio-visual Vrije Universiteit, Brussels offering, rather than expanding into The decline has been steeper amongst new areas. RTBF is subject to similar French-language newspaper groups,
45 The bilingual Brussels region accounts for the remaining 10%. 46 http://www.cim.be/nl/pers/echtverklaring-resultaten 47 http://newsmonkey.be/article/62838 ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 56 57/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT (FLEMISH SPEAKING) ONLINE (FLEMISH SPEAKING) VRT News 70 Het Laatste Nieuws online 60 10 VTM news 41 Het Nieuwsblad online 43 10 Het Laatste Nieuws 28 VTM News online 30 10 Het Nieuwsblad 23 De Redactie 29 10 Qmusic news 17 De Standaard online 21 10 Joe FM news 12 De Morgen online 17 10 TOP BRANDS Metro 10 Het Belang van Limburg online 13 10 % Weekly usage Nostalgie news 10 Knack.be (incl. trends.knack.be) 10 10
Weekly use TV, radio & print TV, RADIO AND PRINT (FRENCH SPEAKING) ONLINE (FRENCH SPEAKING) Main source RTBF News 68 RTL news online 47 10 TV, radio & print RTL News 60 RTBF news online 40 10 Weekly use online brands TF1 news 36 L'Avenir online 31 10 Main source France Télévision news 20 La Dernière Heure online 26 10 online brands Radio Contact news 16 Le Soir 26 10 Regional or local newspaper 15 7sur7 26 10 L’Avenir 14 Regional news websites 14 10 Le Soir 14 MSN News 13 10
PAYING FOR NEWS* TRUST* MOST OF News THE TIME Belgian news brands use various News brands enjoy high levels of 8th/26 I TRUST... strategies to charge for online content trust in Belgium, which might be due including metered paywalls, premium to a general lack of explicitly partisan content subscriptions and syndication. media, no recent scandals involving 51% Wallonia 39% the press and well-functioning Journalists Flanders 59% Wallonia 11% self-regulation through the Council PAY Flanders 13% 12% of Journalism. There is, however, a pay for online news 48% News remarkable diff erence in trust levels Wallonia 37% (=9th/26 countries) Flanders 55% organisations between Flanders and Wallonia, with much higher levels of trust in Flemish 50% Average speaking areas. Wallonia 34% yearly Flanders 60% payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £39 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 38% 35% Wallonia 30% Wallonia 29% Mostly ongoing Flanders 43% Flanders 39% payments AGREE AGREE
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE* AD BLOCKER* Wallonia 29% Computer Tablet Smartphone 23% Flanders 18% 70% 20% 39% use ad blockers. Wallonia 72% Wallonia 19% Wallonia 41% (=15th/26 countries) Flanders 69% Flanders 22% Flanders 37% 39% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE* TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 75% 46% 45% 1 Facebook 42% (41%/43%) 52% (53%/55%) Wallonia 78% Wallonia 43% Wallonia 38% 2 YouTube 15% (11%/21%) 12% (8%/18%) Flanders 73% Flanders 50% Flanders 50% 3 Google+ 4% (4%/6%) 2% (1%/3%)
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Twitter 4% (3%/5%) 5% (6%/4%) 46% 82% 5 WhatsApp 4% (4%/4%) 5% (5%/5%) Wallonia 48% Wallonia 82% Flanders 45% Flanders 83% * NatRep fi gures, followed by separate fi gures for (Flemish speaking Flanders/French speaking Wallonia) REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 58
STATISTICS NETHERLANDS Pop 17m The Dutch media market is characterised by a Internet penetration 96% diverse public broadcasting system, a range of commercial broadcasters, a highly concentrated print sector, and a growing number of online- only players.
Dutch news organisations, both Local news remains popular established brands and new players, amongst Dutch audiences with regional are increasingly focusing on digital newspapers ranking third in the list of innovation. A variety of initiatives, ranging top offline news brands. Regional TV and from De Correspondent (online quality radio news also score relatively highly. news via subscription), Blendle (new aggregated distribution channel), and Rating figures show that the time Dutch De Coöperatie (organising freelance people spend watching live television journalists), are experimenting with new has declined by 4.8% over the past 49 models for journalism in a digital era. At year. However, watching broadcasts the same time, traditional media such on-demand or online is becoming as newspapers and television have to increasingly popular, facilitated by balance making money via their declining services such as NPO Gemist (PSB), but still profitable offline products with RTL XL (RTL), and Kijk (SBS). The Dutch moving their brands to online. Parliament has heavily debated proposals by Secretary of State Sander Dekker Dutch newspapers continue to face to revise the national Media Act to declining print circulations; only national increase the power of NPO, the umbrella quality papers de Volkskrant and organisation of Dutch PSBs. The plan Trouw managed to grow. The largest would also limit broadcasters to content publishing houses, such as Mindshakes popular newspaper in the Netherlands, that has a clear educational, informational, (NRC), Sportnieuws.nl (AD) or Paper De Telegraaf, is struggling financially or cultural purpose. Opponents are (De Persgroep), remains low. and has reduced its editorial staff, concerned that this new policy limits the although it still remains one of the most attractiveness of the public channels and Because online advertisements yield important news brands in the country extends the influence of politicians over little revenue – even though ad-blockers both online and offline. As a result of the PSB, especially after the appointment of have not taken off to the same extent decreasing revenues, we see a growing one of Dekker’s party members to the as in other countries – news publishers concentration of media ownership. In board of NPO. are seeking alternative sources of 2015, Belgian publishing house De income. Blendle’s email newsletter Persgroep bought regional newspaper The widespread adoption of smartphones generates micropayment sales, chain Wegener, and therefore now owns and tablets in the Netherlands has Yournalism allows journalists to use 45% of the newspaper market, with the resulted in an increase in mobile traffic crowdfunding to support their reporting, Telegraaf Media Groep holding 35.2% of to news websites. Micropayment and De Correspondent relies on yearly the market share.48 platform Blendle has grown its number membership fees. Yet only a minority of of subscribers to half a million and Dutch news users spend money on news Public broadcaster NOS remains the recently expanded its pay-per-article content: 88% did not pay for access to most important offline news brand in the services to Germany and the United online news content in the last year. Netherlands. Starting in 1999 far ahead States. Long-form journalism platform of competitors, NU.nl continues to be De Correspondent, founded in 2013, Joëlle Swart and Marcel Broersma the most popular Dutch news website, continues to grow and now has 36,000 Centre for Media and Journalism Studies, although newspapers De Telegraaf and members, more than the daily circulation University of Groningen Algemeen Dagblad and broadcaster NOS of print newspaper nrc.next.50 Audience have caught up over the past 15 years. interest in start-ups initiated by traditional
48 Commissariaat voor de Media (2014). Retrieved from: http://www.mediamonitor.nl/mediamarkten/dagbladen/dagbladen-in-2014 49 Stichting Kijkonderzoek Jaarrapport (2015). Retrieved from: https://www.kijkonderzoek.nl/images/SKO_jaarrapport_2015.pdf. 50 Dolf Rogmans, ‘De Correspondent weet groei vast te houden’, Villamedia, 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.villamedia.nl/artikel/de-correspondent-weet-groei-vast- te-houden. Wilco Dekker, ‘Oplagecijfers kranten stijgen dankzij digitale abo’s. de Volkskrant’, 2015. http://www.volkskrant.nl/media/oplagecijfers-kranten-stijgen- dankzij-digitale-abo-s~a3923288 ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 58 59/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
NOS News 61 NU.nl 44 RTL news (inc. RTL Z and EditieNL) 35 NOS News online 32 A regional or local newspaper 26 De Telegraaf online 26 SBS news 23 Algemeen Dagblad online 22 Other NPO TV news programmes 21 RTL News online 19 19 17 TOP BRANDS De Telegraaf Regional or local paper website Regional radio news 16 Regional TV news online 13 % Weekly usage Regional TV news 16 de Volkskrant online 9 Algemeen Dagblad 15 MSN News 8 Weekly use TV, radio & print Commercial radio news 15 Geen Stijl 8 Main source Metro 13 Regional radio news online 7 TV, radio & print de Volkskrant 8 Metro online 6 Weekly use online brands CNN 8 CNN News online 6 Main source BBC News 8 BBC News online 6 online brands Belgian TV news 5 SBS news online 6 German TV news 5 Website of a free city paper 5
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME The Netherlands is home to micropayment Trust in journalists and the media is News I TRUST... platform Blendle, which sells individual relatively high in the Netherlands, 6th/26 articles from a variety of publishers. Most which unlike, for example, the UK has newspapers have also set up paywalls and not recently faced major scandals. other direct subscriptions to drive revenue. There is no strong tradition of tabloid 54% press, nor a history of ties between Journalists PAY newspapers and political parties. 12% Commercial broadcasters also News 49% organisations pay for online news bring detached-style quality (=9th/26 countries) journalism, comparable to public service broadcasters. 56% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £47 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 47% 41% AGREE AGREE Half and half: one-off and ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 20% 58% 30% 50% use ad blockers. (-6) (+5) (+8) (=22nd/26 countries) 34% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 76% 57% 43% 1 Facebook 36% 45% (-4) (+9) (+1) 2 WhatsApp 14% 17% 3 YouTube 11% 13%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Twitter 8% 9% 47% 81% 5 LinkedIn 5% 4% (+4) (+5) *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 60
STATISTICS SWITZERLAND Pop 8m The media environment is characterised by multiple Internet penetration 87% languages, a strong public broadcaster (SRG SSR), concentrated media ownership, and a number of widely read free newspapers.
The Swiss media market is small and broadcasters on the national highly fragmented, subdivided into a and language level, but the influence of large German-language media market, broadcasters from the large neighbouring a smaller French-language market in countries (France, Germany, and Italy) the west as well as a very small Italian- is very strong. Digital news as an language market in the south of the information source has grown rapidly country, with the media markets of in Switzerland, in particular the news these three language regions websites of the free papers, the tabloid further subdivided.51 press as well as the public broadcaster SRG SRR. There are few successful At the same time, media ownership in digital-born brands, with the exception of Switzerland is highly concentrated. There German-language website Watson.ch, are two large providers: the PSB SRG launched in 2014, and Bluewin.ch – SSR, present in all parts of the country a news offering from the state-run with its TV and radio programmes telecom company Swisscom. (German-language SRF, French-language International titles such as the RTS, Italian-language RSI), and the Swiss Huffington Post and BuzzFeed publishing house Tamedia AG, present play a limited role in Switzerland. in all three main language regions with its nationwide free paper 20 Minuten, The newspaper sector continues to Articles initiative, while NZZ is working 20 Minutes and 20 Minuti respectively. suffer from declining advertising and with the Blendle news platform and has sales revenues, which are not even launched new digital news offerings (e.g. Tamedia has acquired many larger and close to being compensated by gains fm1today.ch and nzz.at, a new online smaller regional newspapers in the made online.53 Indeed, the willingness of offering for the Austrian market). Last last decade such as 24heures and the consumers to pay online is just below year, Tamedia AG launched the 12-App, tabloid Le Matin (giving it almost 40% the European average, and the use of which makes the best articles from market share of the press market in the ad-blockers is also relatively widespread. various media titles available via a new German-speaking region and over 60% in digital subscription. the French-speaking one).52 Its Tages- Despite these problems, Tamedia AG Anzeiger is also a highly respected supra- achieved a record profit for 2015, and the Echoing the situation in many other regional daily newspaper. NZZ media group also published good European countries, political pressure results. A significant part of Tamedia’s on the PSB SRG SSR increased greatly Other significant media players include growing profit, however, is due to last year. A government report to be the NZZ media group, with its Neue activities that don’t relate directly to published this year will describe the Zürcher Zeitung, a nationally and news such as directory services and future role of the public news service. In internationally highly regarded daily real estate listings. addition, right-wing populist politicians newspaper, as well as with regional have intensified political pressure and newspapers in eastern and central Even so many Swiss publishing houses launched a popular initiative which aims Switzerland, and the multimedia group are focused on digital innovation. to abolish the provision of public funds to Ringier AG with its various on- and Tamedia AG created a new division the public news service altogether. offline issues of the tabloid Blick and called ‘Digital News & Development’ the respected French-speaking daily and the NZZ group has adopted a Mario Schranz, Mark Eisenegger, newspaper Le Temps. new management structure. Both NZZ Linards Udris and Ringier’s tabloid medium Blick Research Institute for the Public Sphere & Switzerland has no significant private are participating in Facebook’s Instant Society, University of Zurich
51 http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/switzerland – We only surveyed German and French speakers. 52 http://www.foeg.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:ffffffff-dcb0-8a8e-0000 0000635a6531/Broschur_Jahrbuch_foeg_englisch_2015.pdf 53 http://www.werbestatistik.ch/index.php?pid=65 ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 60 61/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT (GERMAN SPEAKING) ONLINE (GERMAN SPEAKING) SRF News (incl. Tagesschau, radio, etc.) 70 20 Minuten online 59 20 Minuten 50 Blick and Blick am Abend online 35 Blick (inc. evening and Sunday editions) 38 SRF News Online 31 German commercial TV news (e.g. RTL) 28 Bluewin news 25 German public TV news (e.g. ARD) 26 Tages Anzeiger online 18 Other commercial news (e.g. Tele Züri) 23 Teletext.ch 16 TOP BRANDS A regional or local newspaper 19 Websites of a regional or local newspaper 14 % Weekly usage Tages Anzeiger 15 NZZ online 12
Weekly use TV, radio & print TV, RADIO AND PRINT (FRENCH SPEAKING) ONLINE (FRENCH SPEAKING) Main source RTS News (e.g. Le Journa, radio, etc) 75 20 Minutes online 59 TV, radio & print 20 Minutes 55 Le Matin online 35 Weekly use online brands Le Matin (inc. Sunday edition) 46 RTS News online 34 Main source French commercial TV news (e.g. TF1) 38 24 heures online 29 online brands French public TV news 36 Teletext.ch 25 24 heures 24 Bluewin news 23 Commercial radio news 19 Tribune de Genève online 16 A regional or local newspaper 17 Yahoo News 13
MOST OF PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST THE TIME News I TRUST... =9th/26 The introduction of (metered) paywalls to Trust in the news in Switzerland is certain online off erings of the Tamedia and NZZ high compared with other countries, publishing houses has not yet had the desired although trust in media organisations impact on revenues – though average payment 50% has suff ered. Possible reasons Journalists levels are amongst the highest in our survey. include the overt campaigns against the public broadcaster, the increasing News party-political positioning of some PAY 35% organisations 10% news brands, and the growth in the pay for online news importance of the tabloid and free (=13th/26 countries) media in recent years. 39%
Average yearly THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue payment FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £71 39% 35% AGREE AGREE
Half and half: one-off and ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 20% use ad blockers. 60% 29% 61% (=22nd/26 countries) 31% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 69% 43% 63% 1 Facebook 36% 44% 2 WhatsApp 19% 23%
3 YouTube 19% 23%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Google+ 6% 4% 47% 82% 5 Twitter 6% 6% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 62
STATISTICS AUSTRIA Pop 8.5m The media environment is characterised by one of Internet penetration 83% the highest printed newspaper consumption rates in Europe and by the dominance of the public broadcaster ORF in the television and online news markets.
In general, 2015 was not a good year for brands are the public service Austrian newspaper publishers, with the broadcaster ORF, whose services are most affected brands Der Standard and visited by over half of online news Kurier suffering a decrease in sales of consumers, and the online edition of the more than 6%.54 The former nonetheless tabloid newspaper Kronen Zeitung. GMX reported a small profit in 2015 following a is the only digital news provider listed restructuring plan to reduce costs. There in the top ten that is not a venture of an was also a fall in sales for Die Presse Austrian news brand. GMX is a popular (about 4%) and for tabloid newspaper German email service that distributes Kronen Zeitung (about 2%), which news articles from its portal; most of remains the bestselling brand nationally them contain ‘soft news’ based on news with a weekly average of over 760,000 agencies’ reports, although some original copies.55 Magazines were also negatively content is also part of the mix. affected with the Verlagsgruppe News (VGN) merging economic magazines Increased digital news consumption in Trend and Format while continuing with Austria is partly a result of the growing the publication of News. In contrast with use of ORF’s news apps, most of which these general trends, the free newspaper were introduced as late as 2014. These Österreich is distributing 6% more copies apps along with online editions of the than it did a year ago and regional main Austrian news brands have slowed Austrian local branch of the Swiss brand daily newspapers Kleine Zeitung, OÖ the adoption of paywalls as they provide Neue Zürcher Zeitung, is the only news Nachrichten, and Salzburger Nachrichten access to large amounts of information provider in Austria whose main source of reported a small increase in sales. free of charge. Commercial publishers revenue consists of digital subscriptions. have recently started pushing consumers However, it suffered from the general While the consumption of news in Austria to pay for digital news. Kronen Zeitung low propensity to pay for digital news is still substantially based on traditional is currently offering digital subscriptions to the point that NZZ has announced distribution, the use of online channels is to its e-paper to print subscribers the intention of scaling down its growing, with more than 50% now using starting from only €2.50 per month, Austrian operations. their smartphones for news. This is partly while Der Standard, Kleine Zeitung, due to the intervention of the regulator Die Presse, and Wirtschaftsblatt are In 2015, Austrian news organisations (RTR), which facilitated the establishment also offering combined print and digital also started to use WhatsApp to promote and growth of virtual operators such as subscriptions.56 content. Pioneered by the Der Standard 57 BOB and YESSS. in April 2015, a similar service is Despite the increase in the consumption now also offered by Kronen Zeitung, Interestingly, our survey shows that of digital news and the strong appeal of Die Presse, and Ö3. there is a stronger preference for local online local content, there are currently brands and content online than is the only two digital native news providers Sergio Sparviero and Josef Trappel case for television, where German in Austria. In 2015 NZZ.at entered the University of Salzburg, with additional channels benefit from relatively high scene and joined Dossier.at, which was research from Stefan Gadringer rates of usage. The most popular online founded in 2012. The former, which is the
54 The figures in this paragraph are obtained by comparing the data published by the Österreichische Auflagenkontrolle (ÖAK): https://www.oeak.at 55 Including subscriptions and wholesale. Data from https://www.oeak.at 56 http://derstandard.at/Abo?ref=AboWidget 57 http://derstandard.at/2000010646925/Fragen-und-Antworten-zum-WhatsApp-Service-von-derStandardat ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 62 63/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
ORF News (inc. radio) 81 ORF News online 53 Kronen Zeitung 42 Kronen Zeitung online 31 Puls 4 news 24 GMX news 20 ZDF news 24 Der Standard online 18 RTL news 23 Heute online 14 21 14 TOP BRANDS ATV news Kurier online ServusTV news 19 meinbezirk.at - woche.at 12 % Weekly usage ARD news 19 OE24 12 Heute 19 Die Presse Online 12 Weekly use TV, radio & print Bezirksblätter 18 Kleine Zeitung Online 11 Main source Österreich 18 news.at 10 TV, radio & print A regional or local newspaper 16 KroneHit news online 9 Weekly use online brands KroneHit news 14 ARD news online 8 Main source Kurier 13 ZDF news online 8 online brands Der Standard 12 MSN News 7 Die Presse 8 Yahoo News 6
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Austrians remain reluctant to pay for Trust in news organisations and News I TRUST... online news, though publishers have journalists is relatively low compared =15th/26 been stepping up eff orts to charge for to many other European countries. content in the last year. This can be understood against the backdrop of a growing number 43% of violations of the Code of Ethics Journalists PAY reported to the Press Council 7% (Österreichischer Presserat).58 News pay for online news 32% organisations (=22nd/26 countries) 42% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £47 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 24% 22% AGREE AGREE Half and half: one-off and ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 26% 64% 21% 51% use ad blockers. (-3) (+3) (+10) (=8th/26 countries) 39% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 76% 46% 67% 1 Facebook 35% 49% (-2) (-3) (-4) 2 YouTube 17% 19% 3 WhatsApp 13% 16%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Twitter 5% 9% 48% 73% 5 Google+ 4% 2% (+10) (+3) *used weekly for news
58 http://www.presserat.at/show_content.php?hid=12 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 64
STATISTICS HUNGARY Pop 10m Hungary’s conservative Fidesz party has sought to Internet penetration 76% tighten its control over both the public and private media sector over the past year, leading to increased concerns about journalistic freedom and plurality.
The media landscape – including the Meanwhile, the former editor two most watched TV channels – has and co-owner of Magyar Nemzet been through tumultuous, politically bought financial daily Napi Gazdaság driven changes over the last year, with in April and renamed it Magyar Idők most Hungarian news brands controlled (Hungarian Times), transforming it by politically engaged entrepreneurs. to a political daily more loyal to In February, a row erupted between the government. PM Viktor Orbán and his former college room-mate, right-wing media mogul A new law ordering the closure of Lajos Simicska, triggered by the shops on Sundays, introduced in introduction of a 5% tax on advertising.59 March 2015 has impacted press After Simicska said he was declaring circulation. The only political newspaper war on Fidesz, a number of his senior appearing on Sundays, Vasárnapi Hírek media editors resigned, including those (Sunday News) maintained sales by from conservative newspaper Magyar publishing on Saturdays, but the Sunday Nemzet, Lánchíd Radio, and Hír TV. edition of the biggest daily tabloid paper Blikk has seen sales reduced by The advertising tax was also criticised around a third. by RTL Klub, a private television channel with the highest-rated TV Hungary’s biggest daily, Népszabadság is now fully owned by Mediaworks news programme. After a secret deal Wave Media Ltd for almost 4.2 billion Hungary Co, which bought shares from between the government and German HUF (c.€13.2m) in December. New Ringier in 2014 and from the Szabad owner Bertelsmann, RTL Klub’s news Wave Media, which has links to the Sajtó Foundation which is closely linked programme moderated its criticisms government, also publishes vs.hu, to opposition socialist party MSZP. and the CEO was fired after 14 years another important Hungarian news in the job.60 Left-wing political weekly, 168 Óra was website. Index.hu remains by far the most popular Hungarian news portal TV2 Media Group, which runs one sold to a new owner who says he wants thanks to its relaxed tone and relative of the other leading TV channels in to keep the weekly’s political leaning. independence, although it is owned Hungary was sold to the government film A free paper Lokál was launched in May by a right-wing businessman. commissioner Andy Vajna in October but by the prime minister’s unofficial adviser Árpád Habony. Habony also launched a this sale is now subject to a legal dispute Nic Newman news portal 888.hu mimicking the name with a key ally of Lajos Simicska also Research Associate, Reuters Institute, of existing liberal news website 444.hu. claiming ownership. TV2’s Tények news with input from local sources progamme has lost around 500,000 The ex-editor-in-chief of Origo, one of viewers during the last two years.61 the leading Hungarian news portals, launched a new investigative group At the same time M1, the main public called Direkt36, which is supported by TV channel was reshaped into a 24/7 donations instead of advertising, and news channel in March 2015, though publishes its articles through 444.hu. early months were affected by a number of technical problems, Magyar Telekom, a subsidiary of accusations of pro-government bias, Deutsche Telekom, sold the second and falling audiences. biggest news website Origo to New
59 http://index.hu/kultur/media/2015/02/06/lemondott_a_simicska-medibirodalom_teljes_vezetese 60 http://www.mmonline.hu/cikk/eldolt_tavozik_dirk_gerkens 61 http://index.hu/kultur/media/2016/03/23/ket_ev_alatt_tobbszazezer_nezot_vesztett_a_tenyek ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 64 65/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
RTL Klub news 57 Origo news 50 TV2 news 41 index.hu 46 MTV news (M1) 35 HVG online 37 ATV 30 MTV news online (hirado.hu) 32 Hír TV 30 ATV online 32 24 30 TOP BRANDS Duna TV news 24.hu Blikk 18 444.hu 23 % Weekly usage HVG 16 Blikk online 21 Metropol 15 Website of a regional or local newspaper 18 Weekly use TV, radio & print A regional or local newspaper 13 168 ora online 16 Main source Bors 9 Népszabadsag online 12 TV, radio & print 168 óra 8 Bors online 12 Weekly use online brands Echo TV 8 Metropol online 10 Main source Népszabadság 8 Magyar Nemzet online 10 online brands CNN 7 Vilaggazdasag online 10 Nemzeti Sport 7 portfolio.hu 10
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Paying for online news is rare in The politically polarised media News I TRUST... Hungary with most news websites landscape has contributed to the 24th/26 supported by advertising. low levels of overall trust. Very few Hungarians think that the media are free from political or commercial 31% Journalists PAY infl uence and the two are often 8% closely linked. Because of the pay for online news small size of the market there is News (=20th/26 countries) 20% organisations much less money for in-depth reporting compared to Western Average European countries. 28% yearly payment £13 THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence
Half and half: 14% 13% one-off and AGREE AGREE ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 25% 74% 12% 43% use ad blockers. (=10th/26 countries) 43% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 72% 25% 27% 1 Facebook 60% 57% 2 YouTube 22% 23%
3 Google+ 8% 4%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Twitter 5% 6% 64% 88% 5 Viber 4% 4% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 66
STATISTICS CZECH REPUBLIC Pop 10.5m The Czech media landscape is characterised by the Internet penetration 80% dominance of commercial television, which attracts about half of the total advertising spend, and by a highly concentrated newspaper sector, mostly in the hands of local business tycoons.
The Czech advertising market has shifted to a hard paywall for continued to trend upwards – by 8% in selected content in 2016 following 2015.62 This was mainly due to rising disappointing results. Digital-only spending on TV (+14%), while print media subscribers still account for less than and outdoor advertising stagnated. 10% of all subscribers of the publisher’s Online ad spending has grown to almost flagship, the financial daily a 20% share of the advertising market – Hospodářské noviny. around the same as print.63 A hard paywall was also announced by The circulation of Czech newspapers the publisher of the biggest-selling Czech decreased further last year, with most tabloid Blesk, the Czech News Centre, titles having declined by 5–10%,64 a trend which has already started to charge for observed across both quality papers and viewing football matches on its online the tabloid press. Some positive news sports portal iSport.cz. Another leading came with the launch of a new weekly publisher MAFRA has tried a different news magazine – a local version of approach – launching web e-readers Newsweek, licenced by its US for the two quality newspapers, Mladá publisher IBT Media. fronta DNES and Lidové noviny. The company reported a doubling of digital The transformation of print media subscribers,65 albeit from a very low position, with its flagship channel ownership from long-established base given that most of their content ČT1 being the second most watched Western owners to local proprietors remains free of charge. station with a 15% audience share. In continued in 2015. Regional publisher, combination, the audience for all its Vltava-Labe-Press, owner of over 70 In an attempt to reach new audiences channels are roughly equal to that of local versions of the daily Deník, was and take advantage of the new digital the stations controlled by the largest sold by Verlagsgruppe Passau to the multi-channel environment, some news commercial broadcaster Nova Group Czech-Slovak investment group Penta – outlets have been introducing audio (30.4% vs 30.70%). already a significant player on the Slovak podcast versions of their news articles print media market. On the other hand, or reports. These include weekly Czech search engine Seznam has the media market experienced the first publications Respekt and Forbes, along been gradually losing ground to Google significant inflow of capital from Asia, with the daily Hospodářské noviny and (35% vs 45% of the market share by the with the Chinese investment company the increasingly popular internet TV end of 2015), but continues to hold the CEFC having acquired a minority share channel DVTV. This innovative start-up, position of the third most visited website (49%) in the media house Empresa Media, launched in 2014, presents itself as a in the country behind Facebook.com owner of the fourth biggest television web-based public service TV and and Google.cz.67 This illustrates the broadcaster TV Barrandov and publisher raised over 2 million CZK (about continuing attractiveness of the localised of several news weeklies. £60,000) from the public in a online services, which are still important successful crowdfunding campaign. for Czech internet users even in today’s The Czech news media has been globalised digital environment. trying to deal with declining revenues Despite the pressures from both by inventing new strategies to attract traditional commercial competitors and Václav Štětka audiences and subscribers online. new digital-born projects,66 the public Institute of Sociological Studies, Economia, which was the first major service broadcaster Česká televize Charles University, Prague Czech publisher to try a metered paywall, continues to hold its steady market
62 http://www.nielsen-admosphere.cz/press/tz-trh-s-reklamou-v-roce-2015-vzrostl-o-temer-8 63 http://www.inzertnivykony.cz 64 http://www.abccr.cz/overovana-data/periodicky-tisk 65 http://www.mediaguru.cz/2015/03/mafra-zavedeni-ctecky-zdvojnasobilo-prijmy-z-obsahu/#.VwThGHohEhQ 66 Including the TV channel Stream.cz, run by the largest Czech search engine [or internet portal] Seznam.cz. 67 http://markomu.cz/nejnavstevovanejsi-weby ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 66 67/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Ceska televize news (inc. 1, 2, CT24) 67 Mlada Fronta DNES online (iDnes.cz) 55 TV Nova news 30 Pravo online (novinky.cz) 47 Prima news 27 Aktualne.cz 43 Mlada Fronta DNES 20 Ceska televize news online 30 Cesky rozhlas Radiozurnal news 16 TV Nova news online 26 15 23 TOP BRANDS Blesk Prima televize news online Radio Impuls news 14 Super.cz 20 % Weekly usage Metro 13 Blesk online 18 A regional or local newspaper 12 Denik online 18 Weekly use TV, radio & print TV Barrandov news 12 Parlamentnilisty.cz 14 Main source Frekvence 1 news 10 Hospodářské Noviny online 14 TV, radio & print Denik 9 Lidove noviny online 14 Weekly use online brands Evropa 2 news 8 Tyden.cz 10 Main source Cesky rozhlas Dvojka news 6 Rozhlas.cz 8 online brands Pravo 6 Extra.cz 8 Lidove noviny 6 Reflex.cz 7
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME The process of moving towards paid Low trust in news, news organisations News I TRUST... content has been rather slow, as Czech and journalists can be partially 21st/26 news consumers have consistently explained by the recent ownership shown a lack of willingness to pay for changes aff ecting much of the Czech information online. print media sector. Local billionaires 34% now have considerable infl uence, Journalists PAY including those pursuing political 7% careers, such as Deputy Prime News 20% organisations pay for online news Minister Andrej Babiš, who has owned (=22nd/26 countries) two quality papers and the biggest commercial radio station since 2013. 29% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £12 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 15% 13% AGREE AGREE Mostly one-off payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 21% 80% 16% 40% use ad blockers. (-3) (–) (+6) (=19th/26 countries) 31% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 81% 35% 34% 1 Facebook 46% 51% (-4) (–) (-3) 2 YouTube 22% 21% 3 Google+ 5% 3%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Twitter 3% 3% 51% 91% 5 WhatsApp 3% 4% (+10) (–) *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 68
STATISTICS POLAND Pop 38m The Polish media environment is characterised by Internet penetration 68% strong TV channels, embattled newspaper groups, and a number of large and successful web portals. A lively political climate created by the parliamentary election spurred people’s interest in news.
Recent years have been difficult for TVN is also a key source of newspapers in Poland. Despite a rise online news. in overall advertising expenditure, newspaper revenue shrank by 11.5% PSB has been in turmoil since the with circulation continuing to fall year election in October 2015. Parliament on year.68 passed an amendment to the media law that gives the Treasury Minister the Both in print and digital, newspapers power to hire and fire the management remain key destinations for news while of TVP and Polskie Radio – a move popular portals battle for supremacy criticised by both the EU and EBU. The online by developing their editorial Law and Justice Party (PiS), which won operations and investing in original a clear majority in October elections, video production. In the autumn of had argued that journalists on public 2015, online web portal Wirtualna service channels were biased against Polska (WP.pl) launched a current them. Under pressure, the broadcaster affairs programme ‘Dzieje się na is now taking a pro-government line on żywo’ (Happening live) with two many issues. In March, TVP’s flagship editions running five days a week evening news programme Wiadomości using professional hosts with a strong lost 644,000 viewers (a fall of 17%). background in print journalism. In the last Undaunted, the new government plans exclusively on native ads reached break- week of February 2016, the programme further changes – replacing a licence even point in 2015. At the same time the was delivering 4.5m streams. Soon fee with a new tax; transforming TVP number of paid digital subscriptions for afterwards Onet.pl, the biggest portal and Polskie Radio into ‘national cultural the leading quality newspaper, Gazeta in Poland and WP’s key competitor, institutions’ run by directors, but in reality Wyborcza, has reached more than raised the bar by launching six live under control of the Culture Minister; 77,000 (vs 22,000 at the end of 2014). programmes, some of them hosted by and creating a single media-buying former TV anchors. agency to consolidate the ad budgets A Polish pay-as-you-go news system of state enterprises. called Webnalist emerged in September. Meanwhile WP is moving into digital Its founders call it a ‘nanopayment terrestrial television (DTT), winning a Poland has the highest level of platform’ where reading an individual transmission slot for an interactive TV ad-blocking in our survey at 38%. This story can cost as little as 0.01 PLN channel called WP1 due to be launched could be attributed to news websites (virtually 0 GBP). in the second half of 2016. Wirtualna overloaded with ads, but it may also be Polska (WP) also used its vast cash driven by heavy usage of illegal video Poland scores highly in terms of paying reserves to buy Open.fm, a radio streaming services, which also carry for digital news. A growing number of streaming platform – as well as a group extremely intrusive advertising.69 streaming services in Poland – Deezer, of e-commerce and travel websites. Tidal, Spotify (music), Netflix (movies), Rising ad-blockers and falling online ad Storytel (audiobooks), and Legimi Television remains a key source of news rates have pushed publishers to adopt (e-books) – may have partially normalised in Poland, with three big players, PSB paid content strategies and new forms the idea of paying for digital content. TVP, Polsat, and TVN. The latter is now of advertising, such as branded and owned by the US-based Scripps network sponsored content. Both strategies have Vadim Makarenko and runs the most successful TV news been working up to a point. Natemat.pl, Journalist at Gazeta Wyborcza, and channel in Poland and Central Europe. which has built its revenue almost former Reuters Institute Journalist Fellow
68 http://www.agora.pl/im/2/19853/m19853372,RAPORT-S-2015-PL.pdf 69 http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/house-of-cards-season-3-pirated-with-china-top-country-for-downloaders-1201444023 ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 68 69/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
RMF FM news 44 Onet news 60 TVN news (inc. TVN 24, TVN 23 Biznes i Świat) 43 WP news 52 TVP news (inc. TVP Info, TVP1 and TVP2) 37 TVN news online 51 Radio Zet news 32 Interia news 34 Gazeta.pl 29 Polsat news 29 Wyborcza.pl 25 Gazeta Wyborcza 25 TOP BRANDS Fakt online 23 Fakt 18 % Weekly usage Polsat news online 21 Regional or local newspaper 17 Newsweek Polska online 16 Polskie Radio news 15 Weekly use Gazeta Prawna online 14 TV, radio & print Super Express 12 Regional or local paper website 13 Main source Rzeczpospolita 11 TV, radio & print Rzeczpospolita online 12 11 Newsweek Polska 12 Weekly use Wprost online 10 online brands Wprost Dziennik.pl 12 Main source Dziennik Gazeta Prawna 9 TVP News Online 11 online brands Polityka 8 Ipla.tv 11 Tok FM news 8 Polityka online 11
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Poland has an impressive headline rate Historically, public trust in the News I TRUST... but most online payments are one-off media and journalists has been =4th/26 rather than for ongoing subscriptions. high in Poland, though it has fallen The average yearly payment is amongst in recent years. 2015 was a year the lowest in our survey. of parliamentary and presidential 55% elections with highly politicised media Journalists PAY coverage – and this has become 20% even more partisan since. News pay for online news 42% organisations (=4th/26 countries) 46% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £9 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 27% 25% AGREE AGREE Mostly one-off payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 38% 75% 18% 58% use ad blockers. (-6) (–) (+6) (1st/26 countries) 56% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 80% 42% 32% 1 Facebook 50% 54% (-1) (-1) (+4) 2 YouTube 31% 35% 3 Google+ 9% 4%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Twitter 9% 6% 58% 82% 5 Nk.pl 3% 1% (+6) (-2) *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 70
STATISTICS GREECE Pop 11m The media market in Greece is characterised by low Internet penetration 63% trust and low use of traditional media (including a weak newspaper market) alongside some of the highest use of social media and digital-born outlets in our study.
The Greek media system has been In the newspaper market, the hit hard by the financial crisis. As one most successful Sunday newspapers example, the financial turnover for today are (at least partly) published by television production in 2015 was half journalists known mainly from television of what it was in 2010.70 The newspaper (Proto Thema and Real News). Older industry, which was never as strong in legacy newspapers like Kathimerini and Greece as in Northern Europe, has also To Vima are lagging behind. The pattern faced strong pressures, and the average is repeated in radio news where legacy circulation for Sunday newspapers has SKAI radio is trailing Real FM. also halved since 2009.71 In online news, digital-born news In the television market, the old brand portals like newsbomb.gr and name for the Public Service Broadcaster news247.gr are often the first port of (ERT) made a comeback in 2015 call, while feisty and controversial blogs replacing the previous government’s like tro-ma-ktiko.blogspot.com attract attempt to rebrand it as NERIT. Despite significant audiences. Although this may the turmoil and constant relaunches, suggest significant disruption, many ERT news is still accessed weekly by of these portals are also published by over a third (38%) of respondents and is traditional journalists who made their the main source of news for 14%. In the reputation during the successful age of developments go hand in hand with private TV news landscape, both the private television (like zougla.gr, enikos. the low trust in journalists and news survey data and TV ratings72 show that gr, or newsit.gr). In.gr, the news portal organisations, which in turn mean that ALPHA news viewership is now strong, of the DOL conglomerate that was for many Greeks feel that news is not surpassing ANT1 and MEGA which have many years the biggest in the Greek something they have to pay money for. been the two biggest broadcasters market, remains quite successful. The As a result Greeks tend to read news since the launch of private TV in Greece, websites of some financial newspapers in social media at higher rates than 26 years ago. In addition, SKAI, a (capital.gr and naftemporiki.gr) attract other countries. broadcaster that took an open political influential audiences, as a result of stance during the recent referendum the importance of economic news in News participation of Greeks in social and covered the political developments today’s Greece. media (in terms of sharing or commenting of 2015 extensively, has built a loyal news) is also high, an indication that core audience. While the percentage The sharp fall in newspaper circulation, social networking sites are seen as a of Greeks using TV as their main news the low figures for paying for online tool of expressing opinions and source is the lowest in the 26 countries news, and the very high figures for ad- feelings during the ongoing political (21%), 66% still use it for news, with low blocking software (the second highest and economic turmoil. numbers recorded partly due to our use in our survey) portray a gloomy picture Antonis Kalogeropoulos of an online panel. for publishers in Greece. All these Research Fellow, Reuters Institute
70 http://www.statistics.gr/el/statistics/-/publication/SDD06/- 71 http://www.argoscom.gr 72 http://www.arianna.gr/gr/data ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 70 71/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Alpha TV news 50 Newsbomb.gr 34 Skai news (inc. radio) 48 In.gr 33 ANT1 news 44 Zougla.gr 29 Mega news 43 Enikos.gr 28 ERT news 38 News247.gr 28 38 27 TOP BRANDS Star news Yahoo News Real news 20 Newsit.gr 25 % Weekly usage Real 97.8 FM news 19 Skai News online 25 Proto Thema 17 Proto Thema online 24 Weekly use TV, radio & print Epsilon news 15 tro-ma-kti-ko.blogspot.com 24 Main source Kathimerini 14 Kathimerini online 22 TV, radio & print To Vima 13 Lifo.gr 20 Weekly use online brands BBC News 13 Naftemporiki Online 20 Main source Ta Nea 12 Capital.gr 19 online brands CNN 11 Newsbeast.gr 19 Makedonia TV 8 Mega online 19
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Most online news remains free at the point Trust in journalism and media News I TRUST... of consumption and the economic crisis organisations in Greece is the lowest 26th/26 makes it even harder to charge for content of the 26 countries surveyed. Greeks than elsewhere. Few newspapers operate feel that many journalists and news paywalls in Greece. organisations were closely connected 20% to political and business corruption Journalists PAY and thus are viewed as partly 7% responsible for the extent of News 11% organisations pay for online news the fi nancial crisis. (=22nd/26 countries) 16% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £32 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 7% 5% AGREE AGREE Half and half: one-off and ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 36% 72% 28% 47% use ad blockers. (2nd/26 countries) 51% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 66% 34% 31% 1 Facebook 68% 69% 2 YouTube 34% 32%
3 Twitter 14% 11%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Viber 8% 10% 74% 96% 5 Google+ 8% 6% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 72
STATISTICS TURKEY Pop 78m* While the Turkish government intensifies its Internet penetration 60% suppression of media outlets, social media has increasingly become an alternative platform for news.
The freedom of press in Turkey has been They also provide a platform hotly debated around the world as the for sacked journalists and ruling party has stepped up pressure on columnists to continue their work journalists and media owners. Recently, despite the low salaries. the seizure of two media groups, Zaman and Ipek, has increased concerns about Amongst online brands, CNNTürk (37%) not only the freedom of the press but is especially popular with the urban and also Turkish democracy. Despite the educated population. Hürriyet Online restrictions and occasional blocking, (35%) is probably the most visited social media has emerged as a key site for news overall while its main communication tool for following competitor Milliyet does not refrain national developments. from using photos of women and more sensationalist topics to attract attention. The decline in circulation of print media has made it harder for them to remain Digital-born web-portals, like Mynet independent of political or commercial (36%), InternetHaber (22%) EnSonHaber interests. Few newspapers make money, (20%), and Haber7 (17%), are a significant except Hürriyet, so they tend to be part of the Turkish landscape. They subsidised by owners who need to do aggregate stories from newspapers deals with the government in areas and agencies and are important gateways to news. such as energy and construction, or the extensive and intrusive nature of are heavily dependent on advertising Medyascope.tv, which broadcasts news advertisements around text and video. from public companies.73 At the same through Periscope, deserves a special Many ads are not designed for mobile time, new dailies have been launched mention as a growing and important use; and their links do not work properly recently such as Yeni Yüzyıl and Karar platform for free journalism. Even former in social media. that clearly support the government ministers of the ruling party use this line. Other publications such as Özgür Social media is popular for discovering channel to make statements because Düşünce and Yarına Bakış have replaced news stories but also for participation as they are not allowed to participate in Bugün and Zaman after their take-over Turkish people love to share what they television debates. The International by the government. There has been no do. Almost two-thirds of our sample (64%) Press Institute gave its ‘2016 Free Media newspaper closure as a result of digital use Facebook to share and discuss the Pioneer Award’ to Medyascope.tv, citing disruption, except Radikal which ceased news due to the high levels of political the website’s ground-breaking use of its print publication in 2014. polarisation in the country. Twitter (30%) new technologies to impart independent and Instagram (12%) are mostly used by news and information in a media The high use of online media for news better educated people. reflects growing access to the internet landscape under tremendous pressure. and smartphones. However, internet Besides this, T24, Diken, Haberdar and Servet Yanatma operations mostly share and repackage Bianet are attracting audiences through Reuters Institute Journalist Fellow and news commissioned for print, television, the quality of their columnists and former Foreign Policy reporter with or from news agencies. There are more exclusive stories. Zaman Daily digital-born news brands day-by-day Ad-blocking is widespread in Turkey but usage remains limited. It may be (31%) partly due to the amount of free that their importance will grow as they ad-supported news and partly due to have more freedom to express opinions.
73 Servet Yanatma, ‘Media Capture and Advertising in Turkey’, Research Paper, RISJ, 2016. *Data are from urban Turkey, rather than a fully nationally representative sample. This will tend to represent richer and more connected users. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 72 73/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Fox TV news 60 CNN Türk online 37 Kanal D news 48 Mynet news 36 CNN Türk 47 Hürriyet online 35 NTV 47 NTV online 33 Hürriyet 45 Milliyet online 31 40 31 TOP BRANDS ATV news Haberler.com Star TV news 40 Sözcü online 29 % Weekly usage Show TV news 38 İnternethaber 22 TRT news 36 Habertürk online 22 Weekly use TV, radio & print Sözcü 35 Sabah online 22 Main source Milliyet 34 Ahaber 20 TV, radio & print Habertürk TV news 33 Ensonhaber 20 Weekly use online brands Posta 29 Haber7 17 Main source Sabah 29 Cumhuriyet online 17 online brands Cumhuriyet 23 TRT news online 15 Halk TV news 19 CNN International online 15
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME The pay fi gures from Turkey will be infl ated Trust in the news media has News I TRUST... because of our use of an urban sample. decreased from 45% to 40% over =19th/26 In addition, three-quarters of those that the past year. Most media outlets paid for news in the last year made a are largely under the control or one-off payment for a single edition. have come under pressure from the 40% ruling party. There are only a small Journalists PAY number of newspapers and television 27% outlets that are able to criticise the News 34% organisations pay for online news government openly. (=1st/26 countries) 37% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £14 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 29% 27% AGREE AGREE Mostly one-off payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 31% 62% 24% 68% use ad blockers. (-3) (–) (+11) (3rd/26 countries) 39% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 80% 41% 54% 1 Facebook 64% 61% (+5) (+9) (-4) 2 YouTube 31% 35% 3 Twitter 30% 31%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 WhatsApp 17% 20% 73% 90% 5 Instagram 12% 15% (+6) (+2) *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 74
STATISTICS SOUTH KOREA Pop 49m The media is characterised by strong broadcasters, Internet penetration 92% a newspaper sector struggling to adapt to digital change, along with powerful Korean-owned online portals, social networks, and messaging apps.
While TV remains popular in general providers should be eligible to with Koreans, TV news has suffered a supply news to portals. gradual decline from levels of around 95% in 2011. Public broadcaster KBS Korea is the home of Samsung and is the most widely used source offline LG and consequently a market leader but has done less well online while in mobile devices, with around 85% SBS, another popular TV news outlet, smartphone penetration.74 Mobile news has invested heavily in its online news consumption (66%) has increased brand, along with a data journalism team. dramatically since 2011 when a Korea Cable news channels such as JTBC, TV Press Foundation survey showed just Chosun, MBN, and Channel A – owned 11% accessing this way.75 Those who respectively by newspapers Joongang access news via smartphones and Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, Maeil Business tablets now exceed those who access Newspaper, and Dong-a Ilbo – have news via personal computers. increased in popularity, while 24-hour The number of Koreans reading cable news channel YTN has lost newspapers has fallen significantly over market share in recent years. the last few years to around a quarter Web-portal sites such as Naver and of the population (compared with Daum are popular digital news platforms, 45% in 2011). With print subscriptions plummeting, many newspaper groups with about 70% of Korean people model. BuzzFeed is expected to launch have been focusing their efforts on accessing news this way at least once a its Korean news service later in 2016. week. In addition to news, these portals cost cutting and innovations in digital offer web search, email, blogs, computer technology. Chosun Ilbo, the largest Most online newspapers remain ad- games, shopping, and messenger newspaper online and offline, launched supported. Indeed, in 2015, the Wall services. Naver is also the creator of the a VR news app while Financial News Street Journal withdrew from Korea messaging app Line, though it has been has introduced robot journalism to after it became clear that a paywall a separate corporation since 2014. In the cover stock market developments. strategy would not be successful due same year, Daum merged with Kakao, Maeil Business Newspaper is also to the extent of free news. Digital which operates chat app Kakao Talk planning to use robot journalism and VR native publisher, Ohmynews, known along with the social networking technologies to promote their content. for integrating citizen journalism and site Kakao Story. Using advanced natural language professional journalism, has struggled processing techniques, the Korea Press financially for years. Given the debates in the US and Europe Foundation recently launched a news about the growing power of platforms archive titled ‘Big Kinds’, akin to IBM The usage of ad-blockers appears to and intermediaries, it is interesting to Watson’s News Explorer, in order to be below average (12%) among the note that news providers in Korea have support newspapers’ automation 26 countries in this study. This may be been eager to publish their content via of news. because portal websites tend not to portals for years. Publishers are paid use pop-ups and carry relatively few for their content but the terms are Several foreign brands have entered banner ads. kept confidential. the Korean news market including Huffington Post Korea – in a partnership Sonho Kim Naver and Daum last year together with the Hankyoreh Shinmun. Although Senior researcher, Korea Press formed a Committee for the Evaluation Huffington Post Korea’s share is still low, Foundation of News Partnership, complete with a set it is notable for its adoption of native of ethical standards to help decide which advertising as its primary business
74 As of Feb. 2016, the number of smartphone service subscribers had reached 44.1 million – Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning: http://msip.go.kr/web/ msipContents/contents.do?mId=MTQ2 75 The 2011 news consumption data are from Media Audience Research published annually by the Korea Press Foundation. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 74 / 75
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
KBS news 56 Naver news 66 SBS news 47 Daum news 41 MBC news 46 YTN news online 24 JTBC news 45 KBS news online 22 YTN 42 JTBC news online 20 24 16 TOP BRANDS Yonhap News TV SBS news online MBN news 23 MBC news online 16 % Weekly usage Joongang Ilbo 22 Joongang Ilbo online 15 TV Chosun news 21 OhMyNews 15 Weekly use TV, radio & print Channel A news 19 Nate news 15 Main source Chosun Ilbo 19 Chosun Ilbo online 15 TV, radio & print Hankyoreh Shinmun 14 Hankyoreh Shinmun online 14 Weekly use online brands Dong-a Ilbo 13 Yonhap News online 13 Main source Maeil Business Newspaper 13 Kyunghyang Shinmun online 12 online brands Kyunghyang Shinmun 12 Dong-a Ilbo online 11 The Hankook Ilbo 7 Nocut News 11
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Online news is mainly supported Historically, trust in journalists News I TRUST... by advertising. Very few and news organisations has not 25th/26 newspapers charge directly for been high in Korea. In particular, news online in Korea. misinformation about the Sewol ferry sinking in 2014 and about the 22% outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Journalists
PAY Syndrome in 2015 affected trust in 6% the news media. News pay for online news 17% organisations (26th/26 countries)* *Poll by Korea Press Foundation 17% April 2016, n=1273
THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political influence business influence 14% 13% AGREE AGREE
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER
Computer Tablet Smartphone 12% 60% 12% 66% use ad blockers. (25th/26 countries) 12% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 71% 12% 28% 1 Facebook 24% 27% 2 Kakao Talk 22% 17%
3 YouTube 16% 12%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Kakao Story 9% 5% 32% 86% 5 Twitter 9% 8% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 76
STATISTICS JAPAN Pop 127m The Japanese media market is characterised by Internet penetration 91% a strong high-circulation newspaper sector and by five national television networks, including a licence-funded public broadcaster NHK.
Japanese newspapers remain some The Asahi Shimbun newspaper of the most read in the world, reaching has around 240,000 paid digital around eight in ten households in 2015, subscribers, which is just a fraction of its thanks to a strong reading tradition and around seven million print circulation. well-developed home delivery networks. Although in total around 44m papers Digital-born players are beginning to are still sold every day, circulation has make an impact, not least with the launch been falling steadily – down by 18% since of BuzzFeed Japan in January 2016, 2000.76 The left-leaning broadsheet a joint venture between BuzzFeed in Asahi Shimbun has been amongst the the United States and Yahoo! Japan. most affected. Recent controversies over The website’s launch team includes the retraction of stories on so-called Founding Editor Daisuke Furuta from ‘comfort women’ in the Second World Asahi and Satoru Ishido from Mainichi; War and the Fukushima nuclear disaster both well known for their work in digital have led to sustained criticism from journalism. Previously it would have been conservatives. It has seen its circulation unthinkable for journalists to move from decline by around 600,000 copies in the privileged and secure position of a the last 15 months alone, and has been major newspaper to a media start-up. forced to cut wages.77 Meanwhile, Yahoo!, which is the top digital news brand in Japan (59%), is Partly because print remains highly broadening its content mix with Although social media is popular in profitable, newspaper groups have been the creation of original stories in Japan, it is not used as a news source slow to develop online audiences and addition to aggregating news from as frequently as in other countries. digital businesses. That is now changing traditional brands. Japanese users also tend to be reluctant and, with Mainichi Shimbun introducing to participate in news by sharing stories, Competition amongst mobile news a paywall in December 2015, all five commenting, or ‘liking’. This trend brands and apps is becoming intense. national dailies finally have online pay matches the Japanese general public’s Key players are news aggregation apps platforms. The conservative Yomiuri hesitance to openly discuss political such as SmartNews, Gunosy, Yahoo!, and Shimbun newspaper, which has the or societal issues in their face-to Line News. The latter is growing fastest largest circulation of around nine million face communication. copies a day, took the bold step this year with 22 million active users in December 78 of offering tablets for rent – complete 2015, up from 6 million in April 2014. Ad-blockers have also not yet caught with its own apps from ¥1,780 ($16) a This growth is partly because Line itself on in Japan. It is often the case that month – exclusively for its newspaper is the go-to messenger app in Japan. imported digital applications take time subscribers. The most successful of the This app has also has started to carry to be adopted into the unique Japanese five, in terms of digital subscriptions, is rich news timelines, taking advantage linguistic and cultural environment. Nikkei (Nihon Keizai: Japan Economic of regular access by smartphone users. Daily), known for its £844m purchase of Gunosy and Antenna, by contrast, Yasuomi Sawa the Financial Times, with 450,000 paid seem to be prioritising infotainment Journalist, Kyodo News, Japan and digital subscribers. This number has and lifestyle content. former Reuters Institute Journalist Fellow doubled in three and a half years.
76 http://www.pressnet.or.jp/english/data/circulation/circulation01.php 77 http://diamond.jp/articles/-/85459 78 https://linecorp.com/en/pr/news/en/2016/1223 ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 76 77/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
NHK news 57 Yahoo News 59 Nippon TV news 46 NHK news online 16 TV Asahi news 44 Nikkei online 13 TBS news 42 Nippon TV news online 10 Fuji TV news 38 Asahi Shimbun online 9 21 9 TOP BRANDS Regional or local newspaper TV Asahi news online TV Tokyo news 20 MSN News 9 % Weekly usage Yomiuri Shimbun 16 TBS news online 8 Commercial radio news 14 Fuji TV news online 7 Weekly use TV, radio & print Asahi Shimbun 14 Mainichi Shimbun online 6 Main source Nikkei 12 Sankei News online 6 TV, radio & print Mainichi Shimbun 5 Commercial radio news online 6 Weekly use online brands BBC News 5 Yomiuri Online 5 Main source CNN 5 News websites of TV Tokyo 4 online brands Sankei Shimbun 4 Local or regional paper website 4 Nikkan Sports 3 CNN online 4
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) Television remains a key Computer Social Print source of news in Japan while 50% 50% TV print newspapers still play an important role in politics and society. Smartphones were
slow to take off in Japan due to 0% 0% a strong attachment to legacy 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016 feature phones.
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Aggregators like Yahoo still off er Historically, Japanese news brands News I TRUST... a range of newspaper content have been widely trusted, but during =15th/26 free of charge. Strong print the nuclear disaster in 2011 it was profi t margins meant Japanese suggested that the mainstream media publishers have been slow to failed to report the real truth behind 43% focus on paid content online. the accident and instead became a Journalists mouthpiece for the government. More pay for recently a number of respected TV news News PAY 21% organisations 12% online news presenters with a reputation for asking (=9th/26 countries) tough questions have stepped down or not had contracts renewed after 33% allegations of political pressure from the Average conservative government.79 yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £26 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 26% 22% Mostly ongoing AGREE AGREE payments
TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 YouTube 26% 16% 10% 2 Facebook 16% 15% use ad blockers. 3 Twitter 16% 27% (26th/26 countries) 12% under 35. 4 Line 13% 15% 5 Google+ 6% 4%
*used weekly for news
79 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/17/japanese-tv-anchors-lose-their-jobs-amid-claims-of-political-pressure REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 78
STATISTICS AUSTRALIA Pop 23m The Australian media environment has endured a Internet penetration 93% period of uncertainty due to ongoing government leadership instability and a looming federal election in 2016.
Australia has a high concentration of interests. Australians are traditional media ownership dominated changing their listening habits, by News Corporation and Fairfax Media turning to streamed audio providers who together own the majority of such as Apple Music – launched in national and capital city newspapers. June 2015 – and audio apps such The broadcast landscape features three as Spotify and Pandora. Blockbuster commercial free-to-air TV networks and podcasts have made an impact but we two public broadcasters as well as a are yet to see if this will affect everyday variety of commercial radio networks news consumption habits. While digital and audio streaming services. Under radio take-up in capital cities is strong proposed new laws, current ownership at 25%, the high cost of rolling out restrictions would be lifted allowing terrestrial digital services to regional and mergers and acquisitions and potentially remote areas remains a hurdle. In the further shrinking the ownership pool. short to medium term Australians are likely to continue to consume a mix of Smartphone and internet penetration analogue, digital, and online streaming remain high: more than 90% of audio options. consumers access the internet at least once a day and 61% use a smartphone or Newspaper print circulation has tablet to access online news. With more continued to fall. Between December than 11 million Facebook and 9 million 2014 and December 2015 the Sydney Queanbeyan Age to a weekly, whilst YouTube users, over half of Australians Morning Herald (SMH) daily dropped 9% upgrading the online presence of other (52%) reported using online and social and the Canberra Times a substantial regional papers. From July 2016 the media as a source of news. 18.7%. However digital subscriptions for Canberra Times will become a compact. The Herald Sun and The Australian have These changes come on top of Fairfax’s While TV remains the dominant source continued to rise steadily, with a small merger of its federal political coverage of news in Australian households, the downturn for the SMH and The Age after across its capital city newspapers. number of consumers watching free-to- 82 rapid earlier increases. Meanwhile BuzzFeed has arrived in air commercial TV has fallen 15% since the Canberra press gallery with its first 2008,80 due partly to the growth of Advertising revenue continues to drop dedicated political reporter. subscription on-demand services (SVOD) for traditional media as investment such as Quickflix, Presto, Stan, and the shifts to online. Newspapers have Caroline Fisher and Jerry Watkins dominant Netflix, which reached more dropped from 27% to 14% of total ad News & Media Research Centre, than 2.7 million homes and attracted spend since 2009, whereas online has University of Canberra more than one million subscribers over risen from 17% to 35%. By 2019 internet the past 12 months.81 The shift to cheaper advertising is expected to reach 50% SVOD combined with the rising costs of total ad spend.83 of buying programmes challenges free-to-air services and the dominant News Corp Australia and Fairfax pay-TV provider Foxtel. newspapers combined have announced more than 200 editorial staff cuts over The radio landscape has been altered the past 12 months. Fairfax is planning to by a merger between Macquarie Radio close both the Cooma-Monaro Express Network and Fairfax Media Limited’s and the Summit Sun and reformat the
80 Roy Morgan Research. Jan 2016. Article No. 6646. 81 Roy Morgan Research. Feb 2016. Article No. 6633. 82 Audit Bureau of Circulation data, Dec. 2015. 83 PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Entertainment and Media Outlook 2015-2019. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 78 79/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Channel 7 News 41 News.com.au 29 Channel 9 News 39 ABC News online 29 ABC News 38 Ninemsn 27 Channel TEN News 28 Yahoo!7 21 SBS News 21 Sydney Morning Herald online 16 19 15 TOP BRANDS A regional or local newspaper Website of a regional or local newspaper Herald Sun 13 BBC News online 14 % Weekly usage Daily Telegraph 11 Herald Sun online 13 Sydney Morning Herald 11 Daily Telegraph online 12 Weekly use TV, radio & print BBC News 11 Channel TEN News online 11 Main source WIN Television News 10 The Age online 11 TV, radio & print Prime7 News 10 Hungton Post 10 Weekly use online brands Sky News 9 Buzzfeed News 10 Main source Triple J News 8 The Australian online 9 online brands Courier Mail 8 Sky News online 9 The Age 8 CNN online 8
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Many Australian publishers operate Australians’ trust in news generally News I TRUST... paywalls but after initial success remains quite low compared to other =15th/26 have struggled to increase the countries, at 43%. While the data number of digital subscribers indicate that trust in news media has beyond loyal users. risen over the past 12 months – a shift 43% also seen in the 2016 Edelman Global Journalists PAY Trust Survey – trust in social media 10% news sources continues to be lower News 32% organisations pay for online news than in traditional media sources, with (=13th/26 countries) TV news remaining the most trusted. 39% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £53 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 32% 27% AGREE AGREE Mostly ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 23% 60% 27% 51% use ad blockers. (=15th/26 countries) 33% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 65% 40% 38% 1 Facebook 45% 53% 2 YouTube 15% 20%
3 Twitter 8% 12%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 WhatsApp 4% 7% 52% 78% 5 LinkedIn 3% 1% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 80
STATISTICS CANADA Pop 35.5m In this highly concentrated and bilingual media Internet penetration 93% environment,84 traditional media brands, especially television, remain dominant; major newspapers are experimenting with free tablet apps or paywalls; and the public broadcaster remains a strong presence across platforms.
Canadian media companies are faced investment ($14m in 2015 and $10m with changing consumption habits and planned for 2016), the Star Touch app declining advertising revenues, especially (Toronto Star) reached only 26,000 daily in print media and more modestly in users as of March 2016. Both apps offer television. Advertising dollars have their full content free of charge, as do the largely transferred online since 2009, in six regional Québec newspapers acquired large part towards social media, search in 2015 by Groupe Capitales Médias from engines, and other web-only media.85 Gesca, La Presse’s parent company.
There was positive news for Canada’s Some newspapers, like the Globe and public service broadcasters, CBC/ Mail and the Postmedia group, have Société Radio-Canada (SRC), when introduced paywalls or other forms of the newly elected Liberal government payment for content. Although their increased funding by $675m over five hope is to convince readers to pay years in September 2015 – reversing cuts for distinctive content, this may prove implemented by the Conservatives. By challenging when there is so much contrast, commercial television stations in news available for free. Canada have seen their revenues decline by 14% between 2012 and 2014. The After betting on a four-platform strategy but their reach and production resources broadcast regulator, CRTC, has expressed (internet, tablet, smartphone, print) are relatively small. in early 2013, the Postmedia86 chain concern over the consequent reduction Until recently, French-language media acquired the English-language Sun chain of resources devoted to local news had been somewhat protected due to from Québecor and proceeded to merge production (-4% full-time employees). language-specific media consumption, newsroom operations in cities where it These losses occurred at the same time a less pronounced economic downturn, owned more than one newspaper, laying as the abolition of the Local Programming and a slower digital shift. However, off 90 employees. Improvement Fund in 2014. French-speaking Quebecers are now In digital, there has been much focus In Halifax, the Chronicle-Herald staff spending more time consuming news on the pioneering strategy of La Presse, were locked out in early 2016. Two online, including mobile technologies, the French-language publisher with newspapers closed: the Nanaimo Daily than on television, and the main news the largest readership (including digital News (Black Press) and the Guelph providers have laid off staff in the platforms). In January it stopped printing Mercury (Torstar). The Mercury’s past year. closure is particularly symbolic, as it a newspaper on weekdays, leaving just Québecor’s newspaper holdings was founded in 1867, the same year its Saturday print edition. Meanwhile the (Journal de Montréal/Journal de Québec) as the Canadian Confederation. award-winning La Presse+ app, launched abandoned their paywalls in late 2015, in 2013, reports steady increases in In terms of digital-born media, the most making all their content available for free. readership, with more than 250,000 successful are imports from across the Both newspapers also joined Facebook’s weekly tablet users. US border. Yahoo! News is the strongest Instant Articles system, as did magazines Canada’s most widely read newspaper, web-only news brand in English Canada Maclean’s and Chatelaine, and the TV The Toronto Star, adopted the design while the Huffington Post’s Canadian and network Sportsnet. and technology behind LaPresse+ in Québec editions are well-established. Colette Brin BuzzFeed Canada was launched in September to create its own tablet Centre d’études sur les médias, June 2015. There are some alternative application. However, despite a sizeable Université Laval web-only news sources in Canada,
84 As of the 2011 census, English was the first language spoken in the home by 66% of the population and French by 21% (13% spoke another language). Over 90% of French-speaking Canadians reside in Québec. 85 http://www.cem.ulaval.ca/pdf/Donneesfinancieres.pdf 86 Postmedia is owned by a group of investors including Manhattan-based hedge fund, Golden Tree Asset Management, which owns 35% of the company. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 80 81/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT (ENGLISH SPEAKING) ONLINE (ENGLISH SPEAKING) CTV news 35 CBC News online 28 Global news 32 CTV News online 25 CBC news 29 Yahoo News 22 Local radio news 23 Hu ngton Post 21 CNN 22 Global News online 18 CityTV News 20 MSN News 18 TOP BRANDS Local daily newspaper 15 CNN online 18 % Weekly usage Toronto Star 13 BuzzFeed News 15
Weekly use TV, radio & print TV, RADIO AND PRINT (FRENCH SPEAKING) ONLINE (FRENCH SPEAKING) Main source TVA/LCN news 64 TVA News online 39 TV, radio & print Radio-Canada/RDI news 46 La Presse online 24 Weekly use online brands Journal de Montréal/de Québec 31 Radio-Canada/RDI News online 24 Main source Local or regional weekly 18 Journal de Montréal/de Québec online 23 online brands Local radio news 14 MSN News 17 La Presse 11 Canoe.com 15 24 hours 9 Local radio news online 11 Métro 9 Hu ngton Post 10
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Publishers are struggling to persuade Canadians have consistently shown News I TRUST... Canadians to pay for content with so relatively high levels of trust in =4th/26 much available for free – especially via news sources, particularly when the public broadcasters and free apps compared to the US. Support for off ered by daily newspapers. public broadcasting also remains 55% relatively strong despite low ratings Journalists PAY (especially in English Canada) and 9% various critiques from diff erent groups News 47% organisations pay for online news (i.e. commercialisation, suspicion of (=16th/26 countries) political bias, insuffi cient regional or minority coverage). 52% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue £23 FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence 43% 39% AGREE AGREE Half and half: one-off and ongoing payments
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER DEVICE AD BLOCKER Computer Tablet Smartphone 22% 64% 24% 39% use ad blockers. (18th/26 countries) 34% under 35.
WEEKLY NEWS REACH PER SOURCE TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
TV Radio Print RANK NETWORK ALL U35s 71% 27% 36% 1 Facebook 46% 58% 2 YouTube 17% 24%
3 Twitter 12% 19%
Social media Online (incl. social media) 4 Google+ 4% 3% 48% 75% 5 Instagram 3% 8% *used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 82
STATISTICS BRAZIL Pop 204m* South America’s biggest media market has long been Internet penetration 58% dominated by popular free-to-air TV stations which attract more than 50% of advertising spend. But this supremacy is being challenged in urban areas of the country, where online media has consolidated its position as the main source of news.
Monthly audiences for some of the top 25 years. More than 1,400 media news brands online – such as G1 and professionals lost their jobs in 2015. UOL – were over 30 million unique Examples of the current downsizing visitors in 2015. However, in terms of include the magazine giant Abril, which popularity news sites in Brazil are no ceased publishing three titles and match for Facebook. Since 2011, when sold seven other news brands in 2015, the company opened an office in the and the financial newspaper Brasil country, the number of Brazilians using Econômico, owned by Portuguese group Facebook has increased nearly six-fold Ongoing, which closed last year. to more than 83 million.87 Second only to Facebook among the top social media Despite the key role that the press has brands used for news, is WhatsApp, played in uncovering recent political which is estimated to have 100m users, scandals, nine out of the ten best-selling meaning that one in every two Brazilians newspapers in the country lost readers has the app. in 2015.88 By contrast, online news usage rose 50% in the first half of 2015 when The fascination exerted by social compared to the same period of the media is often explained in terms of previous year.89 The increase in digital Folha de S. Paulo, the daily with the Brazil’s hyper-social culture, where circulation has happened despite the highest circulation in the country, people are considered to be more adoption of paywalls by a number of launched a business unit specialising in open to making friends. But Facebook Brazilian papers. By the end of 2014, producing this kind of content in different and other networks are being used ten major dailies had implemented formats, including digital and video, for more than just keeping in touch. In paywalls, according to the National following in the footsteps of other major urban Brazil, social media are used as a Association of Newspapers (ANJ). source of news by approximately 72% of media groups. Around one in five (22%) urban Brazilians respondents in our survey. In December In Brazil, ad-blockers are not yet a major say they paid for some kind of online 2015, a dozen Brazilian news brands source of concern for online advertisers, news content during the past year. – some of them owned by mainstream as penetration remains relatively low That’s the third highest rate among the media heavyweights – started to publish at 21%. directly to Facebook using the Instant 26 countries analysed, with demand Articles format. highest for premium content such as Rodrigo Carro financial news and on-demand video. Reuters Institute Journalist Fellow and The search for new sources of revenue Publishers have also been experimenting financial journalist is critical for the print media, which was with branded and sponsored content hit hard by last year’s contraction of the in print versions of the major Brazilian Brazilian economy, the worst downturn in newspapers but also on online portals.
87 May 2014, according to the then chief executive of Facebook in Brazil, Leonardo Tristão. 88 Instituto Verificador de Comunicação (IVC). 89 National Association of Newspapers (Associação Nacional de Jornais). *Data are from urban Brazil, rather than a fully nationally representative sample. This will tend to represent richer and more connected users. ANALYSIS BY COUNTRY 82 83/
TV, RADIO AND PRINT ONLINE
Globo News 53 Globo News Online (inc. G1) 51 Jornal do SBT 39 UOL online 49 Record News 33 O Globo online 40 O Globo 32 Yahoo News 32 BandNews 31 Record News Online (inc. R7.com) 31 22 29 TOP BRANDS Folha de S. Paulo Folha de S. Paulo online Regional or local newspaper 18 Terra 27 % Weekly usage O Estado de S. Paulo 17 MSN News 27 Commercial radio news 17 BandNews online 27 Weekly use TV, radio & print CNN 16 Jornal do SBT online 26 Main source Rede TV News 13 Regional or local paper website 20 TV, radio & print BBC News 11 O Estado de S. Paulo online 20 Weekly use online brands A free city newspaper 10 CNN online 16 Main source Jornal Extra 8 iG. Online 14 online brands Jornal O Dia 8 Rede TV News online 13 Jornal Zero Hora 7 BBC News online 13
CHANGES IN WEEKLY REACH PER DEVICE SOURCE OF NEWS 2013–16 100% 100% TV MEDIA USAGE Tablet Social 2013–2016 Print Smartphone Online (incl. social) Online (incl. social) TV news remains the most Computer Social Print important source of news 50% 50% TV overall in Brazil, though online is ahead with our urban sample. Social media
has grown rapidly with over 0% 0% 70% using it as a source of 2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016 news each week.
PAYING FOR NEWS TRUST MOST OF THE TIME Although almost a quarter of our urban In a year in which corruption News I TRUST... sample says they pay for online news, scandals and weak economic fi gures 3rd/26 a signifi cant proportion is for one-off fi lled the headlines, trust in news purchases. The average yearly payment remained high. Polarisation between is one of the lowest in our survey. supporters and opponents of the 58% current government helps to explain Journalists why a little more than one-third of pay for the urban population considers News PAY 54% organisations 22% online news journalists to be free from undue (3rd/26 countries) political infl uence. 56% Average yearly payment THE MEDIA IS Undue Undue FREE FROM... political infl uence business infl uence £11 36% 35% AGREE AGREE Half and half: one-off and ongoing payments TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS*
RANK NETWORK ALL U35s AD BLOCKERS 1 Facebook 69% 70% 21% 2 WhatsApp 39% 37% use ad blockers. 3 YouTube 37% 38% (=19th/26 countries) 27% under 35. 4 Twitter 13% 15% 5 Instagram 11% 14%
*used weekly for news REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 84 84 85/
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON
In this section we lay out the overall shape of news consumption across TV, radio, and online. We look at different segmentations to help us understand the varying patterns of news use, as well as the role of traditional and new digital brands. We also explore trust in different types of media, look at consumption patterns around soft and hard news, explore participation and social sharing and finally attitudes to paying for news across countries. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 86
3.1 SOURCES OF NEWS
TELEVISION AND ONLINE ARE KEY SOURCES Traditional offline platforms remain critically important even for IN MOST MARKETS online users. On average, three-quarters of online users (74%) Television and online remain the most popular ways of access TV news every week and over a third read a printed accessing news on a weekly basis. Amongst our sample, newspaper (36%). This remains a multiplatform world where television is ahead in Germany (78%) and France (74%), with audiences pick and mix from a range of platforms at their own online winning in many other countries. Radio is popular in convenience and at different times of day. the Netherlands (57%), Ireland (48%), and Germany (46%), while print is still accessed to a high degree in Austria (67%) and Switzerland (63%). DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM As in previous years, we also find strong generational Given that this is an online survey and thus will under-represent differences in the sources and platforms being used for news. slidetraditional 84users who are not online, TV news is probably still Traditional platforms like TV, radio, and print remain preferred ahead in a number of countries and print remains stronger than sources for older generations while younger groups prefer these figures suggest, but every year our survey shows the online and social media. balance shifting slowly but inexorably towards online. In terms of gender, some traditional news platforms like print and radio appeal more to men, while only social media appeal more to women (see chart overleaf).
PLATFORMS FOR ACCESSING NEWS BY COUNTRY
USA UK GER FRA SPA POR ITA IRE FIN NOR SWE DEN BEL
TV 66% 70% 78% 74% 79% 82% 83% 73% 75% 72% 72% 73% 75%
Radio 23% 33% 46% 28% 34% 37% 30% 48% 47% 47% 47% 47% 46%
Print 26% 35% 38% 27% 56% 47% 43% 47% 53% 41% 43% 29% 45%
Online* 73% 72% 59% 71% 86% 88% 83% 84% 89% 86% 89% 84% 82%
NLD SUI AUT HUN CZE POL GRE TUR KOR JPN AUS CAN BRA
TV 76% 69% 76% 72% 81% 80% 66% 80% 71% 69% 65% 71% 79%
Radio 57% 43% 46% 25% 35% 42% 34% 41% 12% 17% 40% 27% 35%
Print 43% 63% 67% 27% 34% 32% 31% 54% 28% 44% 38% 36% 40%
Online* 81% 82% 73% 88% 91% 82% 96% 90% 86% 72% 78% 75% 91%
*(incl Social media)
Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Base: Total sample in each country REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 85
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 86 / 87
SOURCES OF NEWS BY GENDER AND AGE – ALL COUNTRIES
MALE FEMALE 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
TV 75% 73% 58% 63% 71% 78% 85%
Radio 41% 33% 24% 30% 35% 40% 44%
Print 44% 38% 31% 33% 37% 41% 50%
Online* 83% 82% 88% 87% 84% 80% 77%
Social media 48% 55% 68% 59% 53% 46% 43%
*(incl Social media)
Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Base: Male/Female/18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45-54s/55+: All countries = 26098/27232/5790/9456/9941/9561/18582
3.2 SEGMENTATIONS ACROSS AND WITHIN COUNTRIES
As in previous years we have created a number of Looking at the results of these segmentations by country we segmentations to help us interpret the results. These give find that France (44%) and Germany (50%) still have the largest us a non-overlapping categorisation of the online news percentage of our online sample accessing news in mainly universe that we can apply across all of our countries. traditional ways. In Germany, for example, there is a strong REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM tradition of sitting down and watching the evening TV bulletins like Tagesschau while online news is less heavily used than slideTRADITIONALISTS 86 VS MAINLY DIGITAL elsewhere. By contrast, Korea, Norway, Sweden, and Greece Our first segmentation categorises respondents into those that have a more strongly digital profile. exhibit traditional approaches (mainly TV, radio and print) and those that are mainly digital in the way they consume the news. We also identify a sizeable group that are half and half (platform agnostic). The following table explains how these segments have been achieved.
SEGMENTATION BY SOURCES AND DEVICES
TRADITIONAL HALF & HALF MAINLY DIGITAL 33% 44% 23%
• Television news bulletins • Half & Half – Traditional • Websites/apps of or programmes users who use two or more newspapers • 24 hour news television digital devices for news • Websites/apps of channels OR... news magazines • Radio news programmes • Websites/apps or bulletins • Mainly Digital users who of TV and Radio have used one or fewer companies • Printed newspapers devices in the last week • Printed magazines • Websites/apps of other news outlets • Social media Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source • Blogs of news? Q8B. Which, if any, of the following devices have you used to access news in the last week? Base: Total sample REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 88
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 87
We need to be careful in interpreting these results. The Brazil patterns are – even in countries with very similar levels of and Turkey samples are predominantly based in cities and internet penetration. A number of large countries are taking will tend to be younger and not be fully representative of longer to adopt digital news use and we also find that within the national picture. Italy and Spain also have lower internet those countries there are particular groups that prefer penetration so this data will significantly under-represent traditional platforms, even when they use digital technologies traditional media use. But it is still striking how different the for many other purposes (banking, e-commerce, etc.).
TRADITIONAL USERS VS MAINLY DIGITAL USERS – ALL COUNTRIES
70%
60% Traditional 50% 50 Mainly Digital 40% 44 42 42 41 40 38 38 38 36 30% 35 34 33
20% 23 24 25 19 19 20 19 17 16 16 18 10% 13 14
0% GER FRA AUT BEL CAN JPN ITA NLD UK USA HUN POR AUS
70%
60%
50%
40% 35 30% 33 33 32 33 34 31 30 29 29 26 27 28 27 28 27 26 28 20% 23 22 23 23 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 19 21 17 16 slide10% 88 0% SUI CZE SPA POL IRE TUR FIN DEN BRA KOR NOR SWE GRE 70%
60% Traditional Segmentation: Sources and Devices. Total sample in each country 50% 50 Mainly Digital 40% 44 42 42 41 40 38 38 38 36 30% 35 34 33
20% 23 24 25 19 19 20 19 17 16 16 18 10% 13 14 0% WHO ARE THE TRADITIONALISTS? GER FRA AUT BEL CAN JPN ITA NLD UK USA HUN POR AUS
Tend to be older, with lower level of 70% education but they tend to trust the 60% news more than mainly digital users. 50%
40% 67% 54% 35 69% 49% 30% 33 33 32 33 34 31 30 29 29 are aged 45+ are female did not go trust the news 26 27 28 2728 27 26 28 20% 23 22 23 23 to university most of the time 19 21 17 16 10%
0% SUI CZE SPA POL IRE TUR FIN DEN BRA KOR NOR SWE GRE REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 89
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 88 / 89
NEWS LOVERS, DAILY BRIEFERS, AND SEGMENTATION BY FREQUENCY OF ACCESS AND CASUAL USERS INTEREST IN NEWS Our second segmentation is based on a mix of frequency News News Lovers Extremely interested and interest in the news. For example, news lovers are in news and access Lovers > 5 times a day. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM those that say they are extremely interested in the news 18% Very or extremely Daily Briefers and access it more than five times per day. The full interested and access slide 90 1-5 times a day. conceptual framework is explained right. Access < once a day Casual Daily Casual Users Briefers and somewhat or Users less interested. Some of these groups play more important roles than 38% 44% others in driving the new interactive news ecosystem. Interest in news News lovers consume more, are more trusting of news Frequency of access organisations and journalists, share more, are better educated, and are almost twice as likely to pay for Q1b. Typically, how often do you access news? Q1c. How interested, if at all, would online news. you say you are in news? Base: Total sample
WHO ARE THE NEWS LOVERS?
Tend to be male, older, with higher levels of education. They tend to trust the news more, share more and are more 59% 48% 52% 77% 37% prepared to pay. are male have bachelor/ trust the more likely more likely masters/doctoral news most of to pay for online to share news degree the time news (than daily (than daily briefers) briefers)
3.3 COMPARATIVE BRAND DATA ANALYSIS
InREUTERS this section INSTITUTE we FOR draw THE on STUDY country OF JOURNALISM data on brand performance In the US, Canada, and particularly the UK, broadcast brands take along with questions asked elsewhere in the survey about the largest share, with newspapers playing a lesser role. theslide types of91 news sources accessed online and offline. This In Finland and Spain and to a lesser extent Germany and France, includes a typology of different online sources whether they are it is newspaper brands that have made the running in digital traditional newspaper providers such as the New York Times, news. By contrast, in Poland, Korea, Japan, and Australia there broadcaster websites like NHK, Globo, and the BBC, or digital- has been more impact from digital-born brands (see chart below). born players like Yahoo, Huffington Post, or BuzzFeed. Looking in more detail at some of these countries, we can In the chart below we have used these classifications to show understand more about what is driving these differences. the relative balance between these groups in a few selected The US has a number of strong national broadcast brands countries, in terms of weekly consumption. like Fox and CNN, while newspapers tended to have a local
ONLINE REACH OF NEWSPAPERS, BROADCASTERS AND DIGITAL BORN BRANDS (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
STRONG BROADCASTERSSTRONG BROADCASTERS STRONGSTRONG PRINT PRINT BRANDS BRANDS STRONGSTRONG DIGITALDIGITAL BORN BORN 90% 90% BroadcasterBroadcaster 8787 8787 80% 80% 85 85 75 PrintPrint 70% 70% 75 71 71 707071 71 60% 63 63 63 64 Digital born 60% 63 60 62 63 62 63 62 64 Digital born 60 59 59 57 62 62 62 59 59 57 55 56 50% 51 52 53 55 56 50% 48 52 53 49 51 46 49 47 47 40%48 46 47 43 47 40% 43 40 40 40 40 30% 31 33 30% 33 20% 31 20% 10% 10% 0% 0% USA Canada UK Germany France Spain Finland Poland Korea Japan Australia USA Canada UK Germany France Spain Finland Poland Korea Japan Australia
Q5B. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Base: Total sample in each country REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 90
footprint which has made it harder to develop online readership digital-born sector which includes US imports like Yahoo across the country. At the same time, the entrepreneurial and the Huffington Post as well as profitable journalistic culture in the US has spawned a huge number of digital-born start-ups like Mediapart. In Finland, the strong reading tradition REUTERSstart-ups, INSTITUTE from Yahoo FOR THE and STUDY AOL OFto JOURNALISMnewer brands that together along with a history of newspaper subscription has helped slidereach almost 92 two-thirds (59%) of our sample. The UK has established print brands to reach over four-fifths of our sample a national broadcaster (the BBC), which invested early in online (85%), a significant proportion of whom pay for online digital, and a highly competitive newspaper sector, which has news. The public broadcaster YLE also cuts through online, also gained strength from accessing other English-speaking though mainly with older groups, but there has been little markets. By contrast, in France, we see a more fragmented progress for digital-born media. Finally in Poland, we see heavy picture with traditional newspaper brands like Le Monde use of local portals like Onet and WP, which mainly aggregate and Le Figaro key online destinations but also with a strong news in addition to broadcast and newspaper groups.
TOP NEWS BRANDS ONLINE (SELECTED COUNTRIES)
USA UK FRA FIN POL
Yahoo News 28% BBC News 51% 20 Minutes 19% Ilta-Sanomat 60% Onet News 60%
Huffington Post 25% MailOnline 17% Le Monde 18% Iltalehti 58% WP News 52%
Fox News 22% Guardian 14% Le Figaro 15% Yle News 44% TVN24 51%
Q5B. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Base: Total sample in each country
DIGITAL-BORN SECTOR IS INCREASINGLY Formed as a joint venture between COMPLEX AND FRAGMENTED Yahoo US and internet company The digital-born sector is increasingly difficult to categorise. SoftBank, Yahoo Japan is the most popular web portal and In the past we have made a distinction between ‘first-wave’ search engine in Japan. Well over half of our sample (59%) digital brands that primarily aggregate news from multiple use its news service weekly as it provides easy access to a sources and newer ‘second-wave’ companies that produce range of Japanese publishers. Facing new threats from mobile their own content such as the Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. aggregators like SmartNews, it is stepping up original news But these distinctions are by no means clear and differ by production and investing more in video and entertainment. country and region.
Amongst ‘first-wave’ aggregators we can see brands like Sapo is a Portuguese portal that also Yahoo, MSN, and AOL, which became popular by bundling started life as a search engine but has email or search services via desktop, increasingly struggling expanded into email and web hosting following an acquisition to make money and remain relevant. Many have been hit by Portugal Telecom. It produces its own news content but hard by the downturn in display advertising and the move also acts as a platform for the wider news industry. It has deals to mobile. By contrast some non-English-speaking national with most top media organisations that allow them to republish aggregators seem to be going from strength to strength, news through the Sapo website. In our survey 36% of our online with many diversifying into original news content, video, sample use the main portal with many more accessing branded and entertainment. areas of the site.
Naver is South Korea’s biggest web portal and search engine that started Mynet is Turkey’s most popular web life as an offshoot of Samsung’s IT department. In our survey it portal offering news, sport, finance, is used as a source of news by 66% of our Korean respondents. games, entertainment, and social Its newsstand aggregates content from all the major Korean media. It built its business by offering free email to Turkey’s publishers but most of its money is made elsewhere. Unlike large population, which has helped it attract a large audience some Western portals, advertising revenues remain strong. who come back every day. In our survey 36% use Mynet as a gateway or destination for news weekly. FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 90 / 91
Seznam is a Czech web portal and BuzzFeed has hired new staff and high-profile journalists in a search engine which has a popular number of countries including the UK and Australia, working on news section, visited by three-quarters (74%) of respondents to subjects like politics and the environment. It has also launched our survey in a given week. Seznam links to partner websites a new service in Japan this year. Everywhere, it has focused such as Novinky.cz, Sport.cz, and Super.cz. relentlessly on millennial audiences and is most popular with 18–24s. It has been developing new video formats including By accident or design, many of these national portals have a number of non-news channels and in business terms become – and remain – important gateways to news. But like makes money by selling its expertise in distributed content to Facebook and Apple many have ambitions to be platforms commercial brands, though doubts have been raised about the and destinations in their own right. Through bundling and deal scalability of this approach.90 making they have forged a powerful position. It remains to be seen how well they survive the next wave of competition from The Huffington Post has focused on partnerships with new mobile first aggregators, social networks, and chat apps. traditional news providers such as Le Monde in France, L’Espresso group in Italy, and El Pais in Spain and is increasingly looking to share content across countries.91 It is also refocusing SECOND-WAVE CONTENT PRODUCERS its activities on video and sponsored content. In recent years, a second wave of news companies has Both the Huffington Post and BuzzFeed have greatest reach in emerged that are focused on producing original content English-speaking countries, though both have made gains in alongside business models that do not primarily rely on display other countries including France and Brazil over the past year. advertising. Again this is a complex area to categorise, but we can subdivide these into brands that are focusing on REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM Vice News operates in 30 countries – though locally produced global scale with income from advertising or increasingly from content remains limited in most. It reaches only a small section slidesponsored 94 content, and those focusing on national niches and of internet news users in most countries but twice as many subscription models. under-35s. In the first category, our data show that the most successful companies in terms of reach have been BuzzFeed and the Huffington Post. Both have focused on distributing content through social media but are also building up destination websites and apps – along with a news voice of their own.
SELECTED DIGITAL-BORN BRANDS’ WEEKLY NEWS REACH, COMPARED WITH SELECTED TRADITIONAL BRANDS
HUFF. NEW YORK POST BUZZFEED VICE BBC CNN TIMES
USA 25% 16% 4% 10% 21% 14%
UK 14% 9% 2% 51% 2% 2%
France 13%* 4% 2% 3% 2% 2%
Germany 8%* 2% 1% 4% 3% 2%
Spain 14%* 3% 3% 6% 7% –
Italy 13%* 2% 2% 8% 6% 3%
Greece 13%* 4% 7% 15% 11% –
Ireland 11%* 10% 2% 22% 6% 5% Q5B. Which, if any, of the following have you used to Australia 10% 10% 2% 14% 8% 4% access news in the last week? Base: Total sample in each country. Note: Weighted percentage calculated using population data from Internet World Stats and Canada 19% 13% 4% 9% 15% 6% the World Bank: weighted = (country population x percentage adults x percentage accessed)/total Japan 5%* 2% – 4% 6% 2% population of all countries surveyed. Brazil and Turkey are not included is weighting due to the absence of Weighted reliable data about its urban population. average 11% 6% 2% 8% 8% 5% (24 countries) *Joint ventures or former joint ventures
90 http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/01/04/buzzfeeds-business-model-scale-is-a-problem-and-thats-a-good-thing 91 https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/tags/jimmy-maymann REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 92
JOURNALISTICALLY LED NEWS BRANDS In our second sub-category – and particularly in European markets – we see a number of journalistically led news brands El Confidencial is one of several digital-born publications in that have emerged to become profitable based on donations Spain enjoying success with quality journalism. In our survey or subscription models. the site is the fifth most popular in Spain with 20% weekly reach. It employs over 100 staff, and is profitable, with most income from advertising. Journalistic redundancies from the traditional sector have fuelled a number of other Spanish start- ups such as El Español, which launched last year having raised €3.6m through crowdfunding and offers free content as well as a monthly subscription model.
De Correspondent is a Dutch journalism platform that focuses Given the vast range of approaches, it is hard to draw broad on analysis and investigative reporting. In 2013 it raised around conclusions about the digital-born market. The majority of $1.7m in voluntary contributions for a site focusing on in-depth start-ups, however, employ relatively few journalists and tend to news. The site is ad-free and currently has over 40,000 members cover a subset of the news landscape. Some focus on serving or subscribers, though content can be freely shared in social specific niches, whilst others focus on the lighter or fun side media. It reaches just 1% of respondents to our survey and 3% of news or provide a different take or voice on the news. They of under-35s. are also not immune to the rise of platforms and the move to mobile, trends which are making it harder for all publishers to build sustainable business models.
Digital-born brands have certainly added to the plurality of many media markets but they are a long way from replacing traditional media in providing comprehensive coverage on a Mediapart is a French online investigative and opinion wide range of stories as well as consistent in-depth journalism journal created in 2008 by a former editor of Le Monde. It across the waterfront. has become an important part of the French media landscape with 118,000 paying subscribers and 8% weekly reach in our survey. Mediapart employs over 60 staff with a turnover of around €10m.92
3.4 HOW AUDIENCES DISCOVER NEWS ONLINE
Although audiences still consume the majority of their online As we have seen in the previous section, sites or apps that news from familiar and trusted brands, the way they access aggregate news links are far more important in Korea (38%), that content is changing. Our data show very different patterns Japan (43%), and the Czech Republic (36%) than elsewhere. of access across countries (see chart overleaf). In countries Email is a core route to news in Belgium (40%) with more like Norway (63%), Finland (62%), and Denmark (55%), branded respondents saying they use it for news than directly accessing websites or apps are often the starting point for any news a website. It also plays an important role in Hungary (23%) and journey. By contrast, in Italy, Spain, Poland, or the Czech the US (20%) but is much less used in the United Kingdom Republic a search engine is often the key gateway, with (7%) and Finland (6%). Mobile alerts are increasingly important social media particularly important in Greece, Hungary, with Urban Turkey (21%), Sweden (16%), Portugal (16%), and and Urban Brazil. Switzerland (15%) leading the way.
92 https://blogs.mediapart.fr/edition/les-invites-de-mediapart/article/160316/building-independence REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 96
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 92 / 93
STARTING POINTS FOR NEWS – ALL COUNTRIES
USA UK GER FRA ITA SPA POR IRE NOR SWE FIN DEN BEL
Direct entry 35% 47% 27% 27% 22% 38% 37% 41% 63% 42% 62% 55% 29%
Search 30% 20% 37% 35% 54% 50% 41% 34% 25% 27% 15% 16% 33%
Social media 35% 25% 21% 26% 36% 39% 41% 31% 33% 33% 24% 35% 27%
Aggregator 9% 6% 6% 5% 9% 10% 5% 7% 9% 11% 9% 5% 5%
Email 20% 7% 15% 22% 13% 15% 29% 8% 8% 9% 6% 18% 40%
Mobile alerts 12% 9% 8% 14% 9% 11% 16% 11% 9% 16% 5% 11% 8%
NLD SUI AUT HUN CZE POL GRE TUR KOR JPN AUS CAN BRA
Direct entry 48% 46% 29% 48% 45% 27% 44% 41% 13% 12% 31% 33% 43%
Search 24% 38% 39% 36% 52% 62% 54% 67% 60% 38% 35% 36% 49%
Social media 31% 25% 33% 51% 34% 38% 55% 48% 18% 14% 36% 35% 52%
Aggregator 4% 5% 4% 16% 36% 8% 6% 13% 38% 43% 9% 7% 18%
Email 17% 14% 18% 23% 12% 14% 21% 16% 12% 14% 16% 14% 23%
Mobile alerts 13% 15% 10% 5% 3% 7% 8% 21% 12% 9% 8% 8% 13%
Q10. Thinking about how you got news online (via computer, mobile or any device) in the last week, which were the ways in which you came across news stories? Base: Total sample in each country
3.5 PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTERS
REUTERSPublic service INSTITUTE broadcasters FOR THE STUDY (PSBs) OF JOURNALISM feature prominently in many It is perhaps easy to forget that, despite their strong offline of our country profiles (see section 2). Particularly in Europe, performance, some PSBs still struggle to attract comparable slidesome PSBs 97 are facing accusations of biased news coverage, online audiences for their news coverage. In France, Germany, pressures over funding along with renewed questioning of and Italy, the online offerings of PSB TV reach around 15% with their role in a digital world. Some PSBs – such as the BBC their news output, compared to around half for their offline PSB in the UK – are routinely accused of unfairly dominating the services. In contrast, PSBs in Scandinavia, Ireland, and the UK marketplace, in particular because of the possibility that they are among the most used news brands both online and offline. are undermining paid providers by offering free and unlimited In Austria, ORF news reaches 81% via TV and radio, and 53% access to online news content. online each week. PSBs also tend to feature highly on our lists of what people say is their main news brand (see section 2).
WEEKLY REACH OF PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTERS VIA BROADCAST AND ONLINE – SELECTED COUNTRIES 100% 100% 100%
80% Higher Online Reach Lower Online Reach Broadcast 81 80% 80% BroadcastBroadcast 71 7081 81 Online 60% 66 67 61 64 71 71 70 7059 57 Online Online 53 60% 60% 66 66 6754 67 49 51 61 61 64 64 40% 44 45 59 59 46 57 57 53 53 42 54 54 49 49 51 51 35 40% 40% 44 44 45 3045 46 46 20% 42 42 35 35 15 1630 1630 16 15 20% 20% 0% ORF DR Yle BBC NRK RTE 0 0 CT Rai NHK ARD ZDF 15 France15 16 1616 1616 16 15 15 (Austria) (Denmark)0% (Finland)0% (UK) (Norway) (Ireland) (Czech Republic) (Italy) (Japan) (Germany) (Germany) Télévisions (France) ORF ORF DR DR Yle Yle BBC BBC NRK NRK RTE RTE0 00 0 CT CT Rai Rai NHK NHK ARD ARD ZDF ZDF France France (Austria) (Austria)(Denmark)(Denmark)(Finland)(Finland)(UK) (UK)(Norway)(Norway)(Ireland)(Ireland) (Czech (CzechRepublic) Republic)(Italy) (Italy)(Japan)(Japan)(Germany)(Germany)(Germany)(Germany)TélévisionsTélévisions (France)(France)
Q5a. Thinking now about news on TV, Radio and Print (traditional media), which of the following brands have you used in the last week? Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Via online platforms (web, mobile, tablet, e-reader). Base: Total sample in each country REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 94
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 98 As more and more people access news online, it is becoming that even amongst those PSBs that have a large online reach, harder for some PSBs to fulfil their mandate to serve all groups audiences in Scandinavian countries and Ireland are slightly within society. In our 2015 report, we highlighted that some skewed towards older users. ORF in Austria and the BBC in the PSBs are finding it difficult to reach those younger audiences UK appeal to different age groups more evenly, with the BBC who have turned their backs on TV news. This year we focus particularly popular with 18–24s. specifically on online reach and break it down by age. We see 60% 60 18-24 50% 53 53 48 25-34 46 40% 44 40 35-44 37 ONLINE WEEKLY REACH OF POPULAR PSBs BY AGE – SELECTED COUNTRIES 34 30% 33 45-54 29 28 29 25 20% 60% 24 24 55+ 20 20 59 20 19 57 18 18 55 16 17 17 10% 50% 53 54 53 53 52 13 12 51 52 11 10 51 50 48 48 48 46 746 46 0% 44 44 45 45 44 40% 42 Poland Spain 39Germany UK USA Japan 37 35 30% 30 29 29 55+ 20% 45-54 10% 35-44
0% 25-34 ORF (Austria) DR (Denmark) Yle (Finland) BBC (UK) NRK (Norway) RTE (Ireland) 18-24
Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Please select all that apply. Via online platforms (web, mobile, tablet, e-reader). Base: 18-24/25-34/35-44/45-54/55+: Austria = 232/350/371/405/642, Denmark = 238/231/349/460/742, UK = 220/206/293/400/905, Finland = 185/411/341/422/682, Norway = 242/344/399/426/608, Ireland = 181/462/426/360/574
3.6 TRUST IN THE NEWS IN MORE DEPTH
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM This year we examine trust in the news media in more together, the focus groups generated a number of specific detail.slide We 99take a closer look at the drivers of trust, as well hypotheses that we were able to put to the test using the as the different levels of trust people place in digital-born survey data. news brands. This subsection will primarily draw on data from six countries. In addition to the survey research described throughout this We look in detail at the four countries for which we have focus report, we have also explored trust through eight focus groups group data, as well as Finland and Greece: two countries that in four countries: Spain, Germany, the US, and the UK. Taken are at opposite ends of scale in terms of overall trust in the news.
60% Strongly agree 58 PROPORTION THAT AGREED THAT THEY CAN TRUST MOST NEWS MOST OF THE TIME 50% Tend to agree 45 46 40% 60% 40 Neither 58 36 Strongly agree 30% 32 Tend to disagree 50% 30 30 30 29 Tend to agree 20% 25 25 22 46 Strongly disagree 40% 45 20 19 17 Neither 10% 13 4013 11 5 4 4 3 12 2 8 8 1 36 7 30% 6 32 Tend to disagree 0% 30 30 30 Finland Germany UK Spain USA Greece 29 20% 25 25 22 Strongly disagree 20 19 17 10% 13 13 11 5 4 4 3 12 2 8 8 1 7 6 0% Finland Germany UK Spain USA Greece
Q6_2016_1. Thinking about news in general, do you agree or disagree with the following statements?: I think you can trust most news most of the time. Base: Total sample in each country. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 100
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 94 / 95
Trust in the news does not map particularly well onto TRUST IN THE NEWS AMONG UNDER-35s AND demographic variables. When we look at different countries, OVER-35s we find that different groups are more likely to trust the news. Under 35s Under 35s 80% However, almost everywhere younger people tend to trust the 80% Over 35s Over 35s news slightly less than older people, even after controlling for 67 67 variables such as gender, 60%income, education, and politics.93 60% 58 58 In Germany, for example, over half (55%) of over-35s55 say 55 52 51 52 51 they trust the news, but this figure drops to 41% among 40% 40% 42 41 42 under-35s. The difference in the US was too41 small to be 38 38 34 32 34 32 REUTERSsignificant INSTITUTE (see FORchart THE right). STUDY OF JOURNALISM 20% 20% 21 21 slidePolitical beliefs 101 are also linked to trust in the news. However, 17 17 the picture is complicated. In countries where trust is high, 0% such as Finland, political identification0% tends not to have an Finland Germany UK Spain USA Greece Finland Germany UK Spain USA Greece impact on trust, with each group equally likely to trust the news. However, in the UK, although overall trust is fairly high (51%), right-wingers are more likely to trust the news than those on Q6_2016_1. Thinking about news in general, do you agree or disagree with the the left (see chart below). REUTERSfollowing statements?: INSTITUTE FORI think THE you STUDY can trust OF most JOURNALISM news most of the time. Base: Under-/Over-35s: Finland = 556/1485, Germany = 484/1551, UK = 426/1598, Spain = slide639/1465, US 102= 504/1693, Greece = 598/1438.
80% TRUST IN THE NEWS AND POLITICAL Left IDENTIFICATION governmental influence. In other words, trust in the news is 67 Centre 60% 65 64 almost synonymous with trust in news brands. Of the different Right 56 80%55 57 dimensions examined, perceived freedom from commercial 52 51 Left 45 40% 42 influence was the leastCentre important driver of trust in most 37 39 65 67 38 60% 64 34 countries (see chart below). Right 56 55 57 20% 23 22 24 52 51 45 18 40% 42 37 39 38 0% 34 Finland Germany UK Spain USA Greece DRIVERS OF OVERALL TRUST IN THE NEWS 20% 23 22 24 18 FIN GER UK SPA USA GRE 0% Trust in news Finland Germany UK Spain USA Greece .74 .82 .77 .76 .83 .73 organisations Trust in .68 .73 .64 .65 .75 .62 Q6_2016_1. Thinking about news in general, do you agree or disagree with the journalists following statements?: I think you can trust most news most of the time. Q1F. Some Freedom from people talk about ‘left’, ‘right’ and ‘centre’ to describe parties and politicians. With this .49 .65 .53 .48 .61 .46 in mind, where would you place yourself on the following scale? Base: Left/Centre/ politics Right: Finland = 389/824/355, Germany = 149/1485/69, UK = 468/1009/292, Spain Freedom from = 626/1130/159, US = 476/871/591, Greece = 355/1231/173. Note: Respondents that .49 .61 .50 .50 .58 .42 selected “Don’t know” at Q1F were removed from the analysis. commerce
Q6_2016_1/2/3/4/5. Thinking about news in general, do you agree or disagree with the following statements?: I think you can trust most news most of the time/I think you can trust most news organisations most of the time/I think you can trust most A consistent theme from the focus group sessions in all four journalists most of the time/the news media in my country is independent from undue countries was the view that trust in the news is strongly tied to political or government influence most of the time/the news media in my country is trust in specific news brands. independent from undue political or government influence most of the time.Base: Total sample in each country. Note: A Pearson’s product moment correlation test was used to compute the correlation coefficients. A Steiger’s Z-test was used to test for We were able to put this to the test using our survey data. differences between them. When we look at the strength of the association (or correlation) between overall trust in the news and a number of other potential drivers, we can see that there is a very strong link Another point often made by our focus group participants was between trust in the news and trust in news organisations that trust in news brands takes a long time to build. Some news (0 indicates no association, and 1 indicates exact overlap). brands – typically those that have been around a long time – In all 26 countries trust in news organisations is the most are often seen as main sources of news, whereas new players important driver of overall trust, and is significantly more – even if they have a large reach – are thought of as secondary important than trust in journalists, and freedom from undue sources or ‘guilty pleasures’.
93 A series of ordinal regression models were used to test for significant associations with trust as measured on a five-point scale, and to simultaneously control for the influence of other demographic variables. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 96
If we look at the proportion of users of each digital-born news and AOL, which are now over 20 years old, are more likely REUTERSbrand who INSTITUTE say that FOR this THE is STUDY their OFmain JOURNALISM online news source (e.g. to be a main source of news than brands like BuzzFeed and slidethe percentage 103 of +users 104 of Yahoo News who say it is their main Huffington Post, which emerged in the last decade. New news brand), we can see that the figures tend to increase for players like Vox in the US and El Español in Spain may take brands that have been active for longer. Indeed, if we group encouragement from the fact that their prominence in the minds together all 32 of the digital-born news brands included in of consumers will likely increase slowly over time. The main our survey in Germany, Spain, the UK, and the US, we see exception to this trend is Vice which, despite being present in a strong correlation (.65) between the age of the brand and one form or another since the mid-1990s, is only seen as their the proportion who say it is their main online news source. main source of news by 5% of its users in the UK and 8% in Regardless of their overall reach, brands like Yahoo, MSN, the US.
PROPORTION OF USERS OF DIGITAL BORN BRANDS THAT SAID EACH WAS THEIR MAIN BRAND,
60% 60% 60% TheThe Lad Lad Bible Bible (4) (4) 60% VoxVox (2) (2) 50%50% BuzzFeedBuzzFeed (9) (9) 50%50% BuzzFeedBuzzFeed (9) (9) 40%40% 40%40% 60% 60% AOL News (25) 60% 4040 The Lad BibleThe (4) Lad Bible (4)60% Vox (2) Vox (2) 30%30% 3636 MSNMSN News News (20) (20) 30%30% 36 MSNMSN News News News (20) (20) 50% 50% BuzzFeed (9)BuzzFeed (9) 50% 50% BuzzFeed (9)BuzzFeed (9) 20% YahooYahoo News News (22) (22) 20% 252525 AOLAOL News News (25) (36) 40% 20%40% 40% 40% 20% 22 AOL News (25) 40 40 22 36 36 36 BuzzFeed (9) 30% 10%30%10% 1414 13 MSN NewsMSN (20) News (20)30% 30% 10%10% 13 MSN NewsMSN (20) News News (20) (20) 13 3 3 13 8 Vox (2) 20% 20% 8 Yahoo NewsYahoo (22) News (22)20% 20% 2525 25 AOL News AOL(25) News (36) 0%0% 220%0% 22 UKUK USAUSA BuzzFeed (9) 10% 10% 14 14 13 10% 10% 13 13 3 13 3 8 8 Vox (2) 0% 0% 0% 0% UK UK USA USA 60%60% BuzzFeedBuzzFeed (9) (9) 60%60% ElEspañol.comElEspañol.com (1) (1) 50%50% 50%50% Eldiario.esEldiario.es (3) (3) 4747 40%40% Web.deGmx.deGmx.de (20) (35) (18) 40%40% PúblicPúblico.eso.es (8) (8) 60% 60% 4141 BuzzFeed (9)BuzzFeed (9) 60% 60% ElEspañol.comElEspañol.com (1) (1) 30%30% 35 t-onlinet-onlinet-online (20) (20) (20) 30%30% 50% 50% 50% 50% Eldiario.es (3)Eldiario.es (3) 47 47 Gmx.deWeb.deWe b.(18)de (20) (20) ElConfidencial.comElConfidencial.com (15) (15) 40% 20%40%20% Web.deGmx.de (20) (15)Gmx.de (18) 40% 40% 20%20% Público.es (8)Público.es (8) 41 41 7 7 1818 30% 10%30%10% 35 15 1515 t-onlinet-online (20) (20)t-online (20) 30% 30% 10%10% 1414 1515 1616 3 3 Gmx.de (18) BuzzFeed (9) 20% 20%0%0% Web.de (20)Web.de (20) 20% 20% 0%0% ElConfidencial.comElConfidencial.com (15) (15) GermanyGermany 7 7 18 Spain18Spain 10% 10%15 1515 10% 10%14 15 1614 15 16 3 3 BuzzFeed (9) 0% 0% 0% 0% Germany Germany Spain Spain Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last week? Q5e. Overall, which is your MAIN source of news when accessing using online platforms? Base: = 71/183/337/145/151, US = 78/340/562/369/150. Base: ElConfidencial.com: Germany = 32/161/267/298/300, Spain = 148/372/290/302/421. Note: The age of each brand was taken from Wikipedia. A Pearson’s product moment correlation was applied to the data from UK, US, Germany and Spain. The test showed that there is a positive linear relationship between age of brand and proportion of users that said it was their main source: r(31) = .65, p < 0.01.
3.7 DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN HARD AND SOFT NEWS
This year we have collected more detailed data on the level of of devolved political power in those countries and the media interest people have in different news topics across countries systems that have grown up around this. and between demographics. Political news is considered most important in Germany, Turkey, and the United States, But in addition to country-based differences we can see clear partly no doubt due to the ongoing presidential election and differences in gender, with men more interested in subjects the drama around Donald Trump’s candidacy. International like sport and politics and women paying more attention to news is of particular interest in Germany and Austria as well stories about health and the environment. Again this plays into as Ireland. Japanese are most interested in entertainment and the debate over distributed content and may help explain why celebrity news, with the Spanish, Danes, French, and Germans women are often less likely to directly access news websites showing the least interest. Regional news is most important in dominated by politics and business. Germany, Finland, and Spain, reflecting the relative importance REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 105
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 96 / 97
INTEREST IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEWS BY GENDER – ALL COUNTRIES
MOST INTERESTED MOST INTERESTED 1. Local news 1. Local news 2. Science and Technology 2. Health or Education 3. International 3. International 4. Politics 4. Crime and Justice 5. Crime and Justice 5. Environment 6. Business 6. Lifestyle 7. Health or Education 7. Science and Technology 8. Environment 8. Politics
60%60% Male 59 59 Male 54 51 53 52 Female 49 50 50 Female 45%45% 48 48 47 48 47 46 45 43 42 43 39 37 36 30% REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 30% 31 30 31 30 29 28 24 slide 10626 25 Q2_new2016. How interested are 15% 17 15% 19 you in the following types of news? 12 11 15 Base: Male/Female in all countries: 26098/27232 0% Sport Business Politics Science Crime & Health & Environment Lifestyle Celebrity 0% Sport Business Politics& TechScienceSecurity CrimeEducation Health & Environment Lifestyle Celebrity & Tech & Security Education
HARD AND SOFT NEWS TOPICS INCLUDED IN HARD NEWS AND SOFT We can also divide consumers into groups based on their NEWS MEASURES interest in ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ news topics. ‘Hard’ news is typically used to refer to topics that are usually timely, important HARD NEWS TOPICS SOFT NEWS TOPICS and consequential, such as politics, international affairs International news Entertainment or celebrity news and business news. Conversely, soft news topics include entertainment, celebrity, and lifestyle news. Political news Lifestyle news
We asked our survey respondents to rate their interest in Business and economic news Arts and culture news several news topics on a five-point scale. We then used this Health or education news Sports news data to compute average levels of interest in hard and soft news for each respondent. Subsequently we compared the scores for hard and soft news, and divided respondents into three groups; those who are more interested in hard news topics, those who are more interested in soft news, and those whose interest in both is the same.
On average, in every country we see that interest levels Yet we still see a significant minority in every country that are higher for hard news topics. However, this is likely to be report they are more interested in soft news topics than hard influenced by social desirability bias (the idea that it is more news. The size of this group varies country by country. Around acceptable to interested in certain types of news) as well the one-third in Japan (34%) and Korea (33%) say they are more norms of the traditional news agenda. At the individual level, interested in soft news. However, less than one in five say the people with a high degree of interest in hard news also tend to same in most other countries. The preference for hard news is be the most interested in soft news, and vice versa. particularly strong in Greece (81%), Spain (77%), Denmark (77%), and Germany (76%). 100% 10 12 14 12 14 14 15 17 18 18 16 19 19 19 17 18 19 19 21 18 22 22 22 26 33 34 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 9 11 12 80% 9 13 12 12 16 17 81 12 12 14 14 13 14 16 15 16 17 19 77 77 76 15 16 18 slide 107 74 74 73 71 15 70 68 68 68 68 68 67 67 17 60% 66 65 63 63 63 17 62 60 59 50 49 40%
REUTERS INSTITUTE20% FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 98
0% GRE SPA DEN GER USA AUT NORFINUKSWE NLD CAN PORIREFRATURBELSUI ITA CZEPOL AUS BRA HUN KOR JPN
PROPORTION THAT ARE MORE INTERESTED IN HARD NEWS OR MORE More interested in soft news
INTERESTED IN SOFT NEWS – ALL COUNTRIES Same
More interested in hard news
100% 10 12 14 12 14 14 15 17 18 18 16 19 19 19 17 18 19 19 21 18 22 22 22 26 33 34 9 11 12 80% 9 13 12 12 16 17 81 12 12 14 14 13 14 16 15 16 17 19 77 77 76 15 16 18 74 74 73 71 15 70 68 68 68 68 68 67 67 17 60% 66 65 63 63 63 17 62 60 59 REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM 50 49 40% slide 108 20%
0% GRE SPA DEN GER USA AUT NORFINUKSWE NLD CAN PORIREFRATURBELSUI ITA CZEPOL AUS BRA HUN KOR JPN
Q2_new2016. How interested are you in the following types of news? Base: All who indicated a level of interest in all news topics: Greece = 1972, Spain = 2061, Denmark = 1952, Germany = 1948, US = 2072, Austria = 1906, Sweden = 1980, UK = 1990, Finland = 1980, Norway = 1970, Netherlands = 1946, Canada = 1962, Switzerland = 1949, Belgium = 1954, Turkey = 2027, France = 2059, Ireland = 1943, Portugal = 1966, Italy = 2140, Poland = 1915, Czech Republic = 1973, Australia = 1962, Brazil = 1920, Hungary = 1965,More Korea interested = 2069, in Japansoft news = 1943
Same If we focus on those that say they are more interested in soft PROPORTION OF MALES AND FEMALESMore interested THAT in hard ARE news news, we see that they are more likely to be young and female. MORE INTERESTED IN SOFT NEWS TOPICS In countries such as Japan and Italy, where interest in soft news 60% is high, women are almost twice as likely as men to be more 60% 50% interested in soft news topics compared to hard. Male 50% 44 Male In every country younger40% people are more likely to be more Female 40% 44 Female interested in soft news 30%topics. Strikingly, over half of under-35s in Japan say they are more interested in soft news topics than 20% 2330% 23 hard news. 19 18 19 16 14 14 10% 12 20% 23 23 Of course, what people say they are interested9 9 in may not 19 18 19 16 14 14 accurately reflect what 0%they actually do. Nonetheless, we 10% 12 Spain Germany USA UK Italy Japan 9 9 observe some differences in consumption among those that are more interested in soft news. Most noticeably, they are 0% Spain Germany USA UK Italy Japan considerablyREUTERS INSTITUTE more FOR likely THE STUDYto say OF that JOURNALISM social media is their main sourceslide of news.109 Over one in five of those more interested in soft news in Spain (21%), Italy (20%), and the United States Q2_new2016. How interested are you in the following types of news? Base: All (26%) say that social media are their main source of news. males/females who indicated a level of interest in all news topics: Spain = 1009/1051, Germany = 949/999, US = 1034/1039, UK = 962/1028, Italy = 1018/1121, Japan = This has a knock-on effect for related aspects of offsite news 936/1007. consumption, with people who prefer soft news more likely to watch news video on social media, and more likely to participate in news coverage. However, this is in part caused by the fact that younger people in general are 60% 60 more likely to use social media for news. 18-24 50% 53 53 48 25-34 46 40% PROPORTION WITHIN EACH AGE GROUP THAT ARE MORE44 INTERESTED 40 35-44 37 IN SOFT NEWS TOPICS 34 30% 33 45-54 29 28 29 25 20% 60% 24 24 55+ 20 20 20 19 18 18 16 17 17 58 10% 50% 13 12 11 10 7 47 0% 40% Poland Spain Germany UK USA Japan 39 36 30% 31 29 26 26 26 20% 23 21 21 21 19 19 18 18 17 17 17 10% 13 14 14 14 11 12 8 8 9 6 0% Spain Germany USA UK Italy Japan
Q2_new2016. How interested are you in the following types of news? Base: All 18-24/25-34/35-44/45-54/55+ who indicated a level of interested in all news topics: Spain = 184/366/425/372/714, Germany = 186/275/352/360/777, US = 234/381/374/251/834, UK = 235/281/363/395/717, Italy = 183/317/418/375/846, Japan = 181/328/309/303/822. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 110
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 98 / 99
PROPORTION OF THOSE THAT ARE MORE INTERESTED IN HARD NEWS AND SOFT NEWS TOPICS THAT SAY SOCIAL MEDIA IS THEIR MAIN SOURCE OF NEWS 40%
40% More interested 30% in hard news More interested More interested 26 30% in soft news in hard news 20% 21 20 More interested 26 in soft news 20% 13 10% 11 11 21 20 10 9 6 7 4 5 0% 13 Q2_new2016. How interested are you in the following types of news? Q4. You say Spain Germany10% 11 USA UK11 Italy Japan 10 9 you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your 6 7 MAIN source of news? Base: All those who prefer hard/soft news topics that used 4 5 a source of news in the last week: Spain = 1572/243, Germany = 1442/229, US = 0% 1480/270, UK = 1388/311, Italy = 1337/435, Japan = 929/625. Spain Germany USA UK Italy Japan
REUTERS3.8 INSTITUTE PARTICIPATION FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM AND ONLINE NEWS slide 111
We have now been tracking the extent to which consumers We already know that consumers from some countries participate or engage with the news – typically in the form participate in news coverage more than those from others. of commenting and sharing – for several years. This section News participation is particularly popular in Southern European explores how online news participation has changed over time, countries – such as Greece (86%), Spain (80%), Portugal (79%), the factors that drive participation, and some of the motivations and Italy (76%) – compared to Western and Northern Europe, for sharing news content. and a minority activity in Japan (40%).
PROPORTION THAT SAY THEY ENGAGE IN SOME FORM OF NEWS PARTICIPATION DURING THE AVERAGE WEEK
100%
90 90 80% 86 80 79 76 76 74 73 72 72 71 69 69 60% 67 66 66 65 64 64 60 59 58 55 52 40% 40
20%
0% GREBRATUR SPA POLPOR ITA IRESWECZEHUN USA FRAFINSUIDENNOR CAN AUTAUS BELUK KOR JPNNLDGER
Q13. During an average week in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage? Base: Total sample in each country. Note: News participation options are ‘share a news story via social media’, ‘share a news story via email’, ‘rate, like or favourite a news story’, ‘comment on a news story on social media’, ‘comment on a news story on a news website’, ‘write a blog on a news or political issue’, ‘post a news related picture/video to social media’, ‘post a news related picture/video to a news website’, ‘vote in an online poll on a news website or social media’, ‘take part in a campaign around a news subject’, ‘talk online with friends/colleagues about a news story’, ‘talk with friends face-to-face about a news story’.
Perhaps more surprising is the fact that, in most countries, Even if we narrow the focus and look only at sharing and sharing and commenting (whether onsite and offsite) has commenting on social media, we see a similar pattern. remained at broadly the same level since 2014. In France and The growth in the number that use social media as a source the UK we see small increases, but in Finland, Denmark, and of news (the lightly shaded columns on the charts overleaf) Germany there are even indications of a slight decline. is outstripping what little growth there has been in sharing and commenting on the news. As a proportion of social media news users, participation is falling in most cases. Most of those that have recently started using social media as a source of news are doing so as passive consumers. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 112
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 100
PROPORTION THAT SHARED AND COMMENTED ON A NEWS STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA COMPARED TO THE PROPORTION THAT USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS A SOURCE OF NEWS – SHARING NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
80%80% 20142014 UseUse social social media media REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM forfor news news 20142014 SharedShared a a news news story story 60%slide60% 113 onon social social media media 20142014 20152015 20152015UseUse social social media media 40%40% forfor news news 20152015 3535 SharedShared a a news news story story 3434 3434 onon social social media media 3030 3030 3131 20162016 20%20% 2525 20162016 2222 2121 2020 20162016 1818 1818 2020 1818 1717 1717 1919 1717 UseUse social social media media 1414 forfor news news 1111 1212 1313 1313 1212 88 99 99 SharedShared a a news news story story 0%0% onon social social media media SpainSpain ItalyItaly USAUSA FranceFrance UKUK FinlandFinland DenmarkDenmark GermanyGermany JapanJapan
Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Q13. During an average week in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage? Base: Total 2014-2016 sample in each country COMMENTING ON NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
80%80% 20142014 UseUse social social media media forfor news news CommentedCommented on on a a newsnews story story on on 60%60% socialsocial media media 20152015 20142014 UseUse social social media media 40%40% forfor news news 20152015 CommentedCommented on on a a newsnews story story on on 3232 socialsocial media media 2828 20162016 2525 2525 2727 20%20% 2323 2121 2121 2222 20162016 1818 1616 1616 1616 UseUse social social media media 1515 1313 1313 1414 1414 1414 1414 forfor news news 1111 1111 1111 1010 66 66 66 CommentedCommented on on a a 0%0% newsnews story story on on SpainSpain ItalyItaly USAUSA FranceFrance UKUK FinlandFinland DenmarkDenmark GermanyGermany JapanJapan socialsocial media media
Q3. Which, if any, of the following have you used in the last week as a source of news? Q13. During an average week in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage? Base: Total 2014-2016 sample in each country
Sharing and commenting on the news is still largely the a video to a news organisation, to relatively passive forms, province of a small group of dedicated and highly motivated including rating/liking a news story, or simply talking to friends users. In almost every country, those with the highest levels and colleagues about the news online. of interest in the news, and those who access news the most frequently (referred to by us as news lovers) are considerably On this basis, we have developed an ordered segmentation more likely to comment or share on social media than either based on levels of participation. As described in the following daily briefers or casual users (see p. 89 for more on how the image, we defi ne proactive participators as those that have terms are defi ned), especially after controlling for age and made an original or public contribution to news coverage. other factors. Reactive participators are those that have contributed by disseminating existing news coverage or leaving feedback. Sharing and commenting are not the only ways of participating Finally, passive consumers – who make up just under half in online news coverage. Engagement with the news can range (48%) of our whole sample – are those that do not actively from very ‘active’ forms of participation, such as writing a blog participate in news coverage at all. on a news issue, taking part in a campaign group, or submitting REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 114
FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 100 / 101
SEGMENTATION C: PARTICIPATION PROACTIVE REACTIVE PASSIVE PARTICIPATOR PARTICIPATOR CONSUMER
Write a blog on a news or political issue
Take part in a campaign or group based around a news subject
Comment on a news story in a social network Comment on a news story on a news website 31% x x Post or send a news-related picture or video to a social network site
Post or send a picture or video to a news website/news organisation
Share a news story via social network
Share a news story via email Rate, like or favourite a news story 21% x Vote in an online poll via a news site or social network
Talk online with friends and colleagues about a news story Talk with friends and colleagues about a news story (face to face) 48% None of these
Q13. During an average week in which, if any, of the following ways do you share or participate in news coverage? Base: Total sample in each country.
Consumers in Southern European countries – where social Not surprisingly, differences in degrees of participation are media are particularly popular – have a larger proportion who also heavily influenced by frequency of access and interest engage in the more active forms of online news participation. in the news. News lovers are more likely to also be proactive REUTERSElsewhere, INSTITUTE including FOR THEAsia, STUDY Scandinavia, OF JOURNALISM and Western Europe, participators than casual users or daily briefers. Trust in the slidemost online 115 news users are passive, with a majority (as high news is also a significant factor in most countries, with those as 75% in Japan) not engaging in ‘reactive’ participation with low levels of trust in the news slightly more likely to such as sharing or rating news stories. engage in the more active forms of participation. For example, in the US around a third (32%) of those with a high degree of trust in the news are positive participators, compared to 42% of those with low trust.
33 39 36 44 39 40 46 47 51 53 53 55 50 5534 57 61 58 59 55 65 64 75
PROPORTION OF PROACTIVE PARTICIPATORS, REACTIVE PARTICIPATORS , Passive Consumers 24 26 31 20 AND27 PA26SSIVE CONSUMERS IN EACH COUNTRY 21 22 22 Reactive Participators 19 18 19 23 21 43 42 16 19 20 23 38 16 19 Proactive Participators 35 34 13 17 33 32 31 30 29 29 28 26 25 100% 25 24 23 22 22 22 12 19 21 27 33 39 36 44 39 40 46 47 51 53 53 5521 5018 5544 57 61 58 59 55 65 64 75 13 80% 20 20 JPNGERNLDAUTFINDENUKKORCZEBELSUISWEAUSNORCANFRAIREHUNPOLUSAPORITASPA 25 60% 24 26 61 60 20 27 26 31 21 22 22 48 19 18 19 23 21 40% 43 42 16 19 20 23 38 16 19 35 34 13 17 33 32 31 30 29 29 28 26 20% 25 25 24 23 22 22 22 12 21 18 13 0% JPNGERNLDAUTFINDENUKKORCZEBELSUISWEAUSNORCANFRAIREHUNPOLUSAPORITASPAGREBRATUR
Segmentation C: Participation. Base: Total sample in each country. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 116
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 102
Participation may also be motivated by a desire to correct what WHY PEOPLE COMMENT ON THE those with low trust see as falsehood or distortion. This theory NEWS IN THE UNITED STATES is lent weight by a recent study of news commenting in the US by the Engaging News Project at the University of Texas at WHY PEOPLE COMMENT ON THE NEWS Austin.94 Their data show that, of the many reasons why people (AMONG THOSE WHO COMMENT) comment on the news, some of the most frequently mentioned To express an emotion or opinion 56% revolve around attempts to correct or verify information, and might typically be underpinned by low trust. For example, over To add information 38% a third of commenters (35%) said that they do this to ‘correct To correct inaccuracies or misinformation 35% inaccuracies or misinformation’. To take part in the debate 31% As with commenting, users have many different reasons and To discuss with others 31% motivations for sharing the news. On balance, our data suggest that people usually share news stories because they in some To educate others 29% way ‘approve’ of the coverage. But, in the five countries where To applaud other people or actions 29% we asked respondents about their reasons for sharing the news, most people said that half the time they share because To share an experience 27% they approve, and half the time because they disapprove To note missing information 22% (see chart below). To balance the discussion 20%
To ask questions 20%
To be part of the community 20%
To add humor to the discussion 18% REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 117 To show sympathy to others 15% To persuade others 14%
To see how others react 10%
Source: https://engagingnewsproject.org/research/survey-of-commenters-and- comment-readers
PROPORTION THAT SAID THEY MOSTLY SHARE NEWS STORIES BECAUSE THEY APPROVE OF THE COVERAGE
60% 60% Almost always disapprove Almost always disapprove 50% 55 52 51 55 50% 50 52 Mostly disapprove 50 51 Mostly disapprove 40% Half and half 37 40% 30% 33 Half and half 37 Mostly approve 30% 33 28 29 20% 25 Mostly approve 28 23 29 Almost always approve 25 20% 23 10% 13 Almost always approve 10 4 2 8 3 3 8 3 9 6 6 1 7 6 0% 10% 13 3 10 3 3 4 2 8 8 9 Finland USA Australia 6 Korea 6 UK 1 7 6 0% Finland USA Australia Korea UK
Q13i. You said that you share news content during an average week. Do you tend to do this because you approve or disapprove of the coverage? Base: All who shared a news story in the last week: Finland = 453, US = 807, Australia = 573, Korea = 380, UK = 487. Note: Those who answered “Don’t know” are not shown.
94 http://engagingnewsproject.org FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 102 / 103
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide3.9 118PAYING FOR ONLINE NEWS
The issues surrounding paying for online news are more has forced publishers to think seriously about their reliance on important than ever. As publishers struggle to generate certain revenue streams. In this section we look at the potential sufficient revenue through advertising, they come under even drivers of payment, how much on average consumers are more pressure to convince consumers to pay for access to paying, and consider some of the potential barriers. digital content. On top of this, the rise of ad-blocking software
PROPORTION THAT PAID FOR ONLINE NEWS IN THE LAST YEAR
40%
30% 27 20% 20 20
16 15 15 10% 12 12 12 11 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 7 0% SWEPOLNOR ITA SUIFRABELNLDJPNFINDEN AUS SPA USA PORIRE CAN CZEHUNGER AUT UKGRE
Q7a. Have you paid for ONLINE news content, or accessed a paid-for ONLINE news service in the last year? (This could be digital subscription, combined digital/print subscription or one-off payment for an article or app or e-edition).Note: Excludes Korea where a later poll showed online payment at 6% Base: Total sample in each country.
REUTERSThe above INSTITUTE chart FORshows THE the STUDY percentage OF JOURNALISM that paid for access figures should be treated cautiously due to the difficulty of slideto online news,119 whether in the form of digital subscription, reliable recall, large differences cannot be entirely ignored. In combined digital/print offer, or one-off payment for an article or countries where paying for access to online news is relatively e-edition. However, simply looking at the raw number of people common – such as Poland and Italy – the average amount paid that have paid something for online news only tells part of the (in pounds sterling) is comparatively low. In contrast, in the UK – story. Arguably more important for publishers is how much even though only 7% pay for online news – the average amount people are actually paying. paid per year (£82) is higher than everywhere else.
If we look at the average (median) amount people say they have paid in each country, the picture is very different. Although
YEARLY MEDIAN PAYMENT FOR ONLINE NEWS IN POUNDS STERLING
£100
£80 82 71 £60 62 53 47 47 £40 43 41 40 40 39 36 33 32 32 28 28 £20 26 23 21 13 12 9 £0 SUIUK USA AUS NLD AUT FINNORSWE SPA GREDENFRAGERBEL ITA JPNIRE CAN POLCZEHUNPOR
OPTQ7bi. How much have you paid for online news content, or for access to a paid for online news service in the last year? Base: All who paid for online news in the last year: Switzerland = 135, UK = 76, US = 135, Australia = 140, Netherlands = 120, Austria = 87, Sweden = 235, Norway = 284, Finland = 199, Spain = 150, Belgium = 115, Germany = 109, France = 130, Denmark = 142, Greece = 105, Italy = 242, Ireland = 138, Japan = 161, Canada = 125, Portugal = 95, Hungary = 121, Czech Republic = 98, Poland = 263, Note: Those who selected “Don’t know” were excluded from the analysis. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 104
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 120 The average amount people pay is in part determined by subscriptions – such as the UK, the US, Australia, and in the specific national economic factors, as well as how much Nordic countries – average payments tend to be higher. publishers choose to charge for access. Nonetheless, we see Nordic newspaper publishers in particular have seen success that the dominant payment model in each country heavily in targeting existing readers by offering print/digital bundles. influences differences in average payment. In countries Average payments are lower in countries where making where most people pay for online news through ongoing one-off payments are the norm, such as Poland and Italy.
COUNTRIES GROUPED BY DOMINANT METHOD OF PAYMENT FOR ONLINE NEWS
MOSTLY ONGOING MOSTLY ONE-OFF HALF AND HALF PAYMENTS PAYMENTS
Denmark Austria France
Norway Germany Ireland
Sweden Portugal Spain
Finland Netherlands Poland
UK Switzerland Turkey Q7ai. You said you have accessed paid-for ONLINE REUTERSAustralia INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISMBrazil Italy news content in the last year… Which, if any, of the following ways have you used to pay for ONLINE slideBelgium 121 Canada Czech Republic news content in the last year? Notes: A binomial test was used to determine whether one method of payment accounted for significantly more payments Japan Greece within a country. Countries where there was no significant difference between each payment type USA Hungary were placed in the half and half category.
YEARLY MEDIAN PAYMENT (IN POUNDS STERLING) FOR ONLINE NEWS IN COUNTRIES DOMINATED BY ONE-OFF AND ONGOING PAYMENTS
£100 £100 Mostly ongoing payments Mostly ongoing payments
£80 82 Mostly one-o payments £80 82 Mostly one-o payments OPTQ7bi. How much have you paid for online news £60 62 £60 content, or for access to a paid for online news service 53 62 in the last year? If you have paid to different providers £40 43 53 41 40 40 39 for online news, think only of the single provider you 33 £40 43 32 41 40 40 39 have paid the most to. If you can’t remember the exact 28 28 26 £20 33 32 amount, please put your best estimate to the nearest 28 28 £2012 26 pound. Please use whole numbers. Base: All who 9 £0 paid for online news in the last year in each country 12 UK USA AUS FINNORSWE SPA DENFRABEL ITA POLCZEJPNIRE 9 (see previous chart). Note: Those who selected “Don’t £0 know” were excluded from the analysis. UK USA AUS FINNORSWE SPA DENFRABEL ITA POLCZEJPNIRE FURTHER ANALYSIS AND INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON 104 / 105
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 122 It is difficult to identify clear patterns in the data that point news consumption has a negative effect on paying – even to those groups who are more likely to pay for online after controlling for numerous other factors (including age, news. Although the presence of well-funded public service gender, income, trust in news, and interest in news). Whether broadcasters (PSBs) with a large reach is often blamed for we look at countries where PSBs have a large online reach, or the lack of enthusiasm to pay for online news (‘who will pay countries where their reach is small, we see no evidence of any for online news if you go the website for a public service significant negative effect. broadcaster for free?’), we find no evidence that online PSB
PROPORTION OF ONLINE PSB USERS AND NON-PSB USERS THAT PAY FOR ONLINE NEWS 40%
40% Uses PSB online 30% Doesn't use PSB online Uses PSB online 30% 20% Doesn't use PSB online 19 19 18 Q5b. Which, if any, of the following have you used to access news in the last 20% week? Q7a. Have you paid for ONLINE news content, or accessed a paid-for 10% 19 19 11 11 18 10 ONLINE news service in the last year? (This could be digital subscription, 8 8 8 combined digital/print subscription or one-off payment for an article or app or 6 7 6 10% 11 11 e-edition). Base: Does/Does not use PSB online: UK = 1033/949, Denmark = 0% 10 UK Denmark 7Austria Spain 8 Germany France8 8 965/974, Austria = 1037/900, Spain = 325/1728, Germany = 464/1475, France = 6 6 317/1717. Note: Those who answered “Don’t know” at Q5b or Q7a were excluded 0% from the analysis. UK Denmark Austria Spain Germany France REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 106
4.1 The Challenging New Economics of Journalism 108 Mark Thompson, CEO, New York Times 4.2 Why Trust Matters 110 Ed Williams, CEO, Edelman UK & Ireland 4.3 People Want Personalised Recommendations (Even as they Worry about the Consequences) 112 Rasmus Kleis Neilsen, Director of Research, Reuters Institute 4.4 The Topography of Trust: Views from UK News Consumers 115 Alison Preston, Head of Digital Literacy, Ofcom
106 107/
ESSAYS
4.1 The Challenging New Economics of Journalism 108 Mark Thompson, CEO, New York Times 4.2 Why Trust Matters 110 Ed Williams, CEO, Edelman UK & Ireland 4.3 People Want Personalised Recommendations (Even as they Worry about the Consequences) 112 Rasmus Kleis Neilsen, Director of Research, Reuters Institute 4.4 The Topography of Trust: Views from UK News Consumers 115 Alison Preston, Head of Digital Literacy, Ofcom
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 108
THE CHALLENGING NEW ECONOMICS OF JOURNALISM
Mark Thompson CEO, New York Times
Winter is coming. How many times have we heard that on HBO’s Finally, the end-user’s experience of digital display advertising hit drama Game of Thrones? But though we have sat through is often grisly, with sites overloaded with intrusive ads, and even five series so far, not to mention any amount of torture, murder, some quality publishers giving over space to third-party ‘content and all-round unpleasantness, the sun is still obstinately shining. discovery platforms’, who sell space to God knows whom. No The battle-weary inhabitants of Westeros must be beginning to wonder so many users are opting to block ads altogether. wonder if those thermals were really such a good investment.
Here’s my warning. Winter really is coming for many of the We believe that there is a good business to world’s news publishers. Indeed, this year’s Digital News Report be built around offering digital advertising suggests that for some of them it is already here. experiences which users actually find useful The economic challenge for any legacy newspaper company is “ and enjoyable.” simply stated: it is to grow digital revenue far and fast enough to offset the inevitable declines in print revenue, and at sufficient margins to defend – or increase – profitability. Many publishers There is another way. At the New York Times, we believe that have responded to this challenge by putting their faith in a there is a good business to be built around offering digital model based on audience scale and digital display advertising. advertising experiences which users actually find useful Surely advertisers would pay handsomely for the privilege of and enjoyable. T Brand Studio, our branded content studio, connecting with the vast audiences that all that free digital didn’t exist two-and-a-half years ago. Today its staff includes distribution would unlock? 70 journalists, videographers, designers, and engineers. We recently opened a second centre of operations in London. Most of the new digital news providers were launched with business models which were parasitic versions of the same idea. We expect T Brand to deliver more than $50m in revenue this They aimed to rewrite and repackage other people’s journalism year. Smartphone advertising revenue – driven by new flexible for much less money than it cost to originate it, and then to use multimedia ad units which present inside the content stream – superior technology to out-compete the legacy companies in is currently doubling year over year. Video, sponsorship, audio, distribution and advertising monetisation. Again the result would virtual reality, and other innovations at the frontier of storytelling be rapidly growing audience and revenue. are all also part of our advertising growth strategy. Display still has a place, but we believe that the digital advertising of the These models now look suspect. Digital display advertising is future will be dominated by stories conceived by advertisers, quite different from print advertising. Publishers enjoy far less clearly labelled so they can be distinguished from newsroom pricing power, and even the largest of us are dwarfed by those journalism, but consumed alongside that journalism on their who dominate the field, players like Facebook and Google own merits. whose immense scale allows them to undercut everybody else. The concept of adjacent display – carried over from print – This is a more compelling and creative vision of digital makes little or no sense on smartphone, which is increasingly advertising than conventional digital display, and it requires the platform on which people get their news. Consumption is new skills, talents, and technologies, and substantial fresh also switching rapidly from the publishers’ own environments investment. Audience scale and global reach will still count, to Facebook, Snapchat, and other social media platforms; the but the audience which publishers will need to find will not be Digital News Report suggests as much as 46% of news is now super-light users, the one-and-dones who spend a few seconds seen on social and messaging platforms in the US, 35% in on many different sites, but truly engaged readers and viewers the UK. This too puts direct and indirect pressure on pricing. who are prepared to devote real time to content of real quality ESSAYS 108 / 109
and relevance. If this is the right direction of travel, many of democratic debate and, though it is lèse majesté to say so in our the coping strategies adopted by the majority of news industry, society will probably not miss it very much. publishers in recent years – clickbait and other forms of audience-gaming, an obsession with the top-line number of monthly uniques – will prove to be not just ineffective, but All news publishers need to ask themselves actively counter-productive because they damage brand and whether the journalism they produce is reputation, and point newsrooms at the wrong audience worth paying for.” targets and user experiences. “
If you conclude instead that your journalism is worth paying for, The plain truth is that advertising alone or can be made so by increasing rather than cutting newsroom will not support quality journalism.” investment, the task then is to acquire the brand and direct marketing strategies and skills needed to shape the offer and “ take it to market. This is a mighty challenge on its own. Once In the developed world, adjacent display advertising in print print and TV news enjoyed such privileged distribution and and interruptive advertising in television and video have been prominence that it largely marketed itself. Now, we must go out the principal sources of funding of professional journalism. and actively seek audiences like everyone else. That requires Both are now challenged and likely to come under increasing humility as well as considerable effort and expense, but there pressure in the years ahead. The plain truth is that advertising is no alternative if we are to build sufficiently large, deeply alone will not support quality journalism. News publishers with engaged audiences. digital models, which rely solely or even mainly on advertising, will either have to find other sources of digital revenue, eke And there’s something else. The separation of advertising out a marginal economic future with very low levels of content sales from editorial decision-making, and the need for absolute investment, or go bust. clarity about what is newsroom content and what is commercial messaging, both remain essential. But, beyond these critical At the New York Times, we are building a digital subscription segregations of duty and of user experience, newsrooms and business of scale. Far from plateauing, the rate at which we are commercial divisions of news organisations must become far adding net new subscribers quarter-by-quarter is faster today closer strategic partners than is generally the case today. than it was three years ago. I expect digital subscription revenue An editorial strategy with no revenue context is a forlorn hope. to overtake digital advertising revenue this year. Combined with A strategy created solely by the ‘business side’, whatever that is, other digital revenue streams related to the Times brand and is a waste of good Powerpoint. our core business, together we expect them to approach half a billion dollars of revenue in 2016.
The Digital News Report suggests that few other news Newsrooms and commercial divisions of publishers are enjoying our success. It notes that the number news organisations must become far closer of people paying for news in the US has fallen, and that some “ strategic partners.” paywall strategies – like that of the Sun in the UK – have been abandoned. I’ve often heard the editors and CEOs of other newspaper groups say that the New York Times, and the handful Editorial and commercial leaders need to work together on of other successful pay models, are special cases from which integrated strategies which combine editorial mission and they have little or nothing to learn. Indeed, there is a real air of standards, user experience, innovations in data, technology and defeatism in the industry about even the possibility of getting creative design, and radically new approaches to monetisation. readers to pay. Not five different strategies, not even ‘aligned’ editorial and commercial strategies, but a single shared way forward. Until It’s perfectly true that we have natural advantages – a large very recently, there was a sense that the editorial leadership domestic market with few other national rivals, a strong of news organisations should somehow be protected from the pre-existing tradition of home delivery subscription, and a vast business model challenges which this industry faces. Carry on global opportunity. Most important of all is the fact that we down that road for much longer and you will founder. continued to invest strongly in quality journalism when most of our competitors were decimating their newsrooms. But this is Editors need to co-create and co-lead the necessary also about a mind-set: although we think there are powerful transformation of both news report and business. At the civic and commercial reasons for allowing very extensive free New York Times, we have one strategy and Dean Baquet, access to Times journalism – our pay model is far more porous our executive editor, and his senior newsroom and editorial than others – we believe that every story we do should be colleagues, are just as responsible for devising and worth paying for. implementing it as I am as CEO.
Digital advertising will not be enough. Membership, freemium In the coming storm, newsrooms and commercial departments models, e-commerce, and events will be helpful, but again not who try to ignore reality, or each other, will catch their death from enough. All news publishers need to ask themselves whether cold. Those who put quality and audience experience first, and the journalism they produce is worth paying for. If not, they figure out how to work effectively as a unified team will be well will suffer the same fate as a baker whose bread is not good placed, not just to survive, but to grow stronger. enough to buy. Low-quality journalism adds little to plurality and REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 110
WHY TRUST MATTERS
Ed Williams CEO, Edelman UK & Ireland
How often do we think about trust in our daily lives? There are This shows television news main bulletins score between numerous occasions on which we unconsciously test some 69% and 74% in the Edelman data (Edelman Trust Barometer experience against the question: is this the right thing for me 2016, UK supplementary research). At the other end of the to do/buy/eat/believe? Sniffing food before eating it is an scale, red-top newspapers score between 37% and 42%. example of an unconscious trust test. Will this ice take my Middle-market British papers scored between 46% and 55%, weight? Do I trust that driver to respect the pedestrian crossing while what used to be called broadsheets are trusted, on before I step out? But it’s rarer for us to test consciously and average, by between 58% and 66% (Edelman Trust Barometer deliberately whether we trust something. 2016, UK supplementary research).
One area where it does happen though, and often, is with the These figures seem reasonable until one explanatory aspect news. In print or on screen, we find ourselves challenging the is introduced: these are the trust figures for people who veracity of news reports all the time. ‘Life on Mars!’ screams the actually read those titles. Among those who are not paying headline. Really? Is that actually Kim Kardashian’s [insert body customers, trust in the lower end of the market is in a range part here]? Do I believe in anonymous sources? Did somebody of 9% to 17%, in the mid-30s for mid-market, and mid-50s for pay the newspaper to run this story? Can I trust the journalist, the ‘heavies’ (Edelman Trust Barometer 2014, unpublished or the editor, or the proprietor to give me an honest report? research). Accordingly, it’s tempting to assume that this is Or do I not care whether the ‘news’ I see is true or not, just so a recent phenomenon, provoked perhaps by the phone- long as it’s entertaining? hacking scandal of 2011 and a series of high-profile trials that followed in which journalists were cast in an unfavourable and In Britain, we have a long history of independent journalism, disagreeable light. But that is not supported by research. Again, although not as long as we like to think. The presence of from two sources: our tracking data from before the time that august organisations such as the BBC, Reuters, or the FT, all phone-hacking hit the headlines shows trust levels in the media of which we – and much of the world – instinctively trust to be immediately after the scandal only three percentage points unbiased, cements the feeling that we are protected rather lower than in our most recent survey; and EU study from 2010 than misled by the media. places UK newspapers rock bottom in a survey of 27 member nations when people were asked if they trusted newspapers Yet, as verified not only by the Reuters Institute research, but to tell the truth. Britain’s press scored 18%, compared with an also our own Edelman Trust Barometer data, in Britain we EU average of 43%. The next least trusted national newspaper do not actually trust the media overall. Even including those industry, in Greece, recorded a trust level of 28%. organisations of high reputation, the Barometer tells us that only 55% of Brits trust the traditional media (defined as broadcasters Of course, to some extent this is a global issue. The wider news and newspapers, including their web offerings) to do the right spreads, the more it gets questioned. The more information thing. The Digital News Report offers a similar figure, showing people are exposed to, the more they have to exercise their trust levels at 50%. critical faculties. It is a supply-side issue as well: the more sources that come into being, the more contradictions in This seems unimpressive, even worrying, but in fact the UK is reports of the same story will be thrown up. And it is an issue about mid-table in terms of trusting the media, on the face of of technology and malign intent: the more digital tricks that it. Dig down a little into the data, however, and another trend become available to propagandists and hoaxers, the less trust emerges: a disparity – perhaps unsurprising – between levels we ought to place. of trust based on the type of media. ESSAYS 110 / 111
The fact is, in the face of an expanding universe of information, Everybody knows that media companies, particularly publishers, every day increasingly feels like April Fool’s Day. But does all are struggling with a grim outlook of plunging advertising this really matter? Well, I would argue that it does. The fact of revenues in print and digital, falling circulation, and the the matter is that the amount of trust that people are able to commoditisation of news online. This year has started dismally place in the institutions that govern or inform their lives accords for them. The first quarter has seen the forced marriage of two closely with their sense of happiness. So in a broad, societal great Italian titles, La Repubblica and La Stampa, the closure sense, it matters whether or not our media is trusted. of the Independent in print, massive job culls at the Guardian, and further cuts rumoured in other UK groups. In countries such as Norway, where the government already subsidises In the face of an expanding universe of local newspapers to stay open, there are urgent debates about information, every day increasingly feels like whether to cut down the activities of the state broadcaster to help the online editions of newspapers survive. On the face of April Fool’s Day.” “ it, there are very few industries more in need of the boost that could be offered by increased trust than the news industry.
A drop in trust of media among the mass of the population has As it happens, there is no probable correlation between trust in come in a general atmosphere in which institutions and other the media and willingness to pay for online news, as recorded areas of public life have been tarnished all over the world. in the Digital News Report. But surely it is not a coincidence Just think of Parliament (expenses), sport (FIFA or doping), the that the country which is rock bottom in terms of trust in the financial services industry. press (as opposed to the media generally) is also least likely of the markets surveyed by the Reuters Institute to pay for, or to These scandal-led impacts on trust intertwine with a consider paying for, online news? heightening of awareness of inequality across societies and an increasing distrust of elites, reflected in the emergence of There are of course other reasons why Britons won’t pay for candidates who stand (some more than others) outside the online news – the commercial companies point to the huge and norm of politics. somewhat overbearing presence of the publicly funded BBC and they have a point, although the Digital News Report shows It is a simple evil for us all if people do not trust what they read that payment levels are far higher in other countries – Finland, or hear or see. Any examination of political rhetoric shows Sweden, Norway, Korea – where there are also powerful how facts have been subsumed into the same calculations of national broadcasters. value as opinion; balance in arguments is harder and harder to achieve and public discourse becomes shallower and more However, before we jump to connect the dots, we should think partisan, whether held in legislatures or on Twitter. a bit harder: it’s probably just as likely to be true that many people no longer visit media outlets to get ‘trusted’ information. They go for fun. Or outrage. Qualitative research based on the The Trust Barometer makes it very clear every Trust Barometer findings shows that people are likely to rate year that when people trust a company, they trustworthiness much lower as a reason for loyalty to a news buy their products.” source than how ‘informative’ – for which read gossipy – or “ whether or not the source is free. And wasn’t that always the case? News consumers are So, in that context, it certainly matters that an increasingly large sophisticated, as they show in the Digital News Report every group of people are cynical about what they read, and that is year. They know they can trust some sources more than others particularly important when it comes to critical public issues and they don’t mind. But if they can’t trust a source, their view such as the UK’s referendum on its membership of the EU. is, why should I pay for this? The inevitable conclusion is that More simply, it is also a matter of commercial survival for the trust isn’t a market-mover for every media owner, but for those media companies in question. The Trust Barometer makes it who are going to rely on being paid online, it strikes me as very clear every year that, when people trust a company, they being rather important. buy their products, they pay a higher price over comparable products, and they recommend them to friends. All the evidence of recent history suggests that the advance of technology and the continued multiplication of news sources will only widen the split between those who trade in trust and those who trade in sensation. In other words, nothing changes except the technology. Nothing changes except the pace of change. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 112
PEOPLE WANT PERSONALISED RECOMMENDATIONS (EVEN AS THEY WORRY ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES)
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen Director of Research, Reuters Institute
In recent years, news organisations like the BBC and the our existing views), algorithmic discrimination (where news New York Times have worked to offer more personalised is customised in ways where people miss out on important news through their websites and apps, based on what topics information, for example, poor people getting little or no people indicated they are interested in or in some cases financial news), and raise privacy concerns (as they are based auto-generated recommendations based in part on the on collecting individual-level data about users). content they have used in the past. Our 2016 survey shows that ordinary people across the The German publishing group Axel Springer has launched world share these concerns, but at the same time embrace Upday, a new mobile news aggregation developed in automatically generated personalised recommendations. partnership with Samsung that tracks users’ reading habits and automatically selects a personalised stream of content from Strikingly, when asked to rate three different ways of getting across the web. The Washington Post is just one organisation news – (1) having them selected by editors and journalists, working on developing a chatbot to automatically deliver (2) having them automatically selected on the basis of personalised news to individual users through messaging apps. an individual’s past consumption, and (3) having them More widely, digital intermediaries including Google, Facebook, automatically selected on the basis of what friends consume – and Twitter offer algorithmically generated personalised search in almost every country, personalised recommendations based results, news feeds, and timelines whether we use them for on a person’s own past consumption comes out number one news or other purposes. (see chart overleaf).
Clearly, the era in which news was a fairly stable product, More people say they prefer personalised recommendations published or broadcast in a single fixed form which people as a better way to get news than when it is editorially selected could pay attention to or not is gradually coming to an end. or based on social recommendations. Algorithms are more A rapidly developing combination of responsive design, popular than journalists, as long as the algorithms are based automated display decisions, and increasingly detailed on people’s personal consumption. Editors are consistently individual-level data allow both publishers and platforms to preferred to social recommendations in almost every country. deliver more tailored content and services. The news you get The differences are not huge, but they are consistent and will increasingly depend on who you are, where you are, and significant across most countries. There are generational what the publisher or platform you access news via know about differences that vary somewhat from country to country, but you, people like you, and people around you. broadly speaking, younger people are more likely to agree that personalised recommendations and social recommendations This development worries some journalists and public are good ways to get news online. intellectuals. Personalised recommendations may undermine editorial control. Many journalists think they, not When it comes to getting news, most people, in short, trust recommendation engines or social filters, ought to determine themselves more than they trust journalists, and trust what news people get. Automated display decisions may journalists more than they trust their wider circle of friends lead to filter bubbles (where we only get news that confirm and acquaintances. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 124
ESSAYS 112 / 113
60%PROPORTION WHO THINK THAT EACH SELECTION METHOD IS A GOOD WAY TO GET THE NEWS (SELECTED COUNTRIES) 50% 60% 40% Editors and journalists 40 36 36 37 37 50% 33 Automatically based 30% 32 31 29 29 on past consumption 24 20%40% 23 23 23 22 Automatically basedEditors and journalists 40 20 on friends' consumption 36 36 37 17 37 10% 33 13 Automatically based 30% 32 31 29 29 on past consumption 0% 24 20% 23 23 23 22 Automatically based Germany Austria Spain Korea USA UK 20 17 on friends' consumption 10% 13
0% Germany Austria Spain Korea USA UK
Q10D_2016a_1/2/3. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: Having stories selected for me by editors and journalists is a good way to get news/Having stories automatically selected for me on the basis of what I have consumed in the past is a good way to get news/Having stories automatically selected for me on the basis of what my friends have consumed is a good way to get news. Base: Total sample in each country.
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM At the same time most of our respondents are concerned about discrimination are clearly widespread, even as people say that slidethe consequences 125 of a move to a more personalised news personalised news is a good way to get news. Similarly, when environment. Across all 26 countries surveyed in 2016, people asked, people also worry about privacy; in Germany, Austria, tend to be worried that more personalised news may mean and South Korea more than they worry about the other issues that they miss out on important information and challenging at stake. viewpoints. Concerns over both filter bubbles and algorithmic
PROPORTION WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT EACH POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCE OF PERSONALISATION (SELECTED80% COUNTRIES) 70 67 80%60% 65 Concerned about missing 61 60 59 54 out on important information 51 70 49 49 Concerned about missing 40% 67 44 46 44 45 60% 65 42 43 42 out on challengingConcerned viewpoints about missing 61 60 59 38 54 out on important information 51 Concerned about privacy 49 49 Concerned about missing 20% 46 45 40% 44 42 43 44 42 out on challenging viewpoints 38 0% Concerned about privacy 20% Spain UK USA Germany Austria Korea
0% Spain UK USA Germany Austria Korea
Q10D_2016b_1/2/3. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: I worry that more personalised news may mean that I miss out on important information/I worry that more personalised news may mean that I miss out on challenging viewpoints/I worry that more personalised news will mean my privacy is placed at greater risk. Base: Total sample in each country
In this way, people’s engagement with personalised news seem worrying. We may not trust algorithms very much when recommendations reflects a broader trend – many of us we stop to think about how they work, but the services they rely every day on digital services that deliver extraordinary enable are amazing and we would not want to be without them. functionality and great ease and convenience, even if we may have doubts and reservations about how they actually work. For news organisations like the BBC, the New York Times, Axel Springer, and many others working on their own This illustrates the very pragmatic way most of us are engaging automated personalised recommendations services, the with digital media, media that we use and enjoy even when we results of our 2016 survey are both encouraging and worrying. do not understand them and are aware that they are in some Encouraging because they suggest that, as people get cases premised on trade-offs that upon closer scrutiny can accustomed to algorithmically generated search results and REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 114
recommendations of the ‘if you like this, you might also simultaneously demonstrating the value of getting this content like’-type more widely, many want similar types of personalised from, specifically, a news organisation – rather than one of recommendations for news, based on their own past the giant digital intermediaries that are constantly advancing consumption. Worrying because editorial selection – a key the frontiers of automated content and service delivery. The part of the identity and brand of news organisations – is not an challenge is to do this in a world where people certainly have especially highly regarded way of getting news, and because reservations about algorithms, but many have even more the standards by which we judge the quality of automatic reservations about journalism. As one participant in one of our personal recommendations tend to be set by large search UK focus groups said: ‘I think that I would probably trust an engines and social media companies and others with more algorithm more. If this was an editor that I didn’t know or an data, more engineering talent, and more resources than any algorithm I didn’t know, an algorithm won’t have an agenda news organisation. What works for Amazon may not work as and it will offer a more wide range of sources’ (20–34 year old, well for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. UK Focus Group).
This suggests that news organisations that want to build News organisations that believe in the value of editorial personalised recommendation systems – for their websites, selection and have built their brand and identity around apps, and perhaps in the future chatbots – will need to find a this belief thus face a two-fold challenge. How can they balance between editorial selection, personalised selection, leverage the power of personalised recommendations without and an element of the generally less highly regarded social undermining the value of their editorial work, and how can selection, as they sort out data and technology. The challenge they convince more people that getting news from editors is to deliver content to people that speaks to their individual and journalists can actually be a better way of getting it interests and also connect them with the wider world while than getting it filtered by algorithms? ESSAYS 114 / 115
THE TOPOGRAPHY OF TRUST: VIEWS FROM UK NEWS CONSUMERS
Alison Preston Head of Digital Literacy, Ofcom
This essay examines the factors that shape people’s trust in NEWSREUTERS INSTITUTECONSUMPTION FOR THE STUDY HABITSOF JOURNALISM ARE news with a focus on the UK. Given the range of platforms used STRONGLYslide 126 STRATIFIED BY AGE for news and the variation in the numbers of sources used, As initial context, it’s useful to remind ourselves of the the reasons people have for trusting the news are also quite extent to which different age groups prefer different types diverse. Many of these reasons remain constant, such as the of news source, as Figure 1 illustrates. When asked for their need for a news brand to be reliable, impartial, and accurate; main type of news source, 9% of online news users96 aged to have built up a reputation over time; to be consistent. 18–24s nominated TV, compared to 54% of those aged 65+. Conversely, 84% of the 18–24 group nominated any online However, other reasons that emerge in this quantitative and news source, compared to 15% of those aged 65+. qualitative research have the potential to be more disruptive, such as trust being allotted to sources which are more ‘direct’ rather than mediated, and to sources which display a FIGURE 1: FIGURE 2: transparent, ‘congruent’ ethos – potentially regardless of the MAIN SOURCE USED FOR NEWS (Q4) MAIN SOURCE USED FOR NEWS (Q4) particular editorial stance they might take. In addition, some people are taking a more active role in deciding whether or Single main source used Breakdown of types of online source used not to trust their news sources. They are aware that there are 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% a wide range of views and that they need to make a number all all all all all of judgements about the veracity of what they are consuming. 80% 84 80% 80%84 80%84 84 18-24 80% 84 18-24 And finally, there is a need to consider the normative 18-24 18-24 18-24 25-34 25-34 60%dimensions of trust – to what extent does a lack of trust in news60% 25-34 25-34 25-34 62 60% 6260% 62 62 60% 62 53 54 53 54 55-64 55-64 signify considered due caution, or disaffected cynicism? 53 54 53 54 53 54 55-64 55-64 55-64 40% 42 40% 42 40 40% 4240% 4240 65+ 40% 42 65+ 35 40 40 35 40 65+ 65+ 65+ This essay explores these themes, focusing on the UK data in 35 35 35 27 27 26 24 26 24 20%order to compare and contrast21 the views and habits of younger2020% 21 27 2127 20 26 21 26 27 26 19 20% 20% 17 19 20% 17 24 24 24 15 14 15 6 21 21 19 19 1420 20 6 21 21 21 19 20 21 4 11 13 4 4 11 17 13174 17 and older news users.9 It draws upon10 both9 10 the quantitative8 2 9 10 159 158 10 1 9 10 8 2 9 10 14 14 15 8 6 1 6 13 13 14 6 13 7 7 7 10 4 10104 7 10 2 210 107 7 11 11 10 44 104 2 10 11 4 0% 0% 9 9 9 9 8 7 8 9 7 9 7 7 79 78 8 19 1 8 7 9 7 7 8 1 onlineAny survey online and theAny qualitative TV focusAny printed groups carriedRadio out withOnline TV/radio0%Any online0%Online pressAny TV Social mediaAny printed Radio Online TV/radio0% Online press Social media active news users in a range of countries including the UK.95 Any onlineAny online Any TV Any TV Any printedAny printed Radio Radio Online TV/radioOnlineAny online TV/radioOnline pressOnlineAny TV pressSocial mediaAnySocial printed media Radio Online TV/radio Online press Social media
Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All/18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45- you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All/18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45- 54s/55+ who have used at least one source of news in the last week: UK = 54s/55+ who have used at least one source of news in the last week: UK = 1960/204/194/279/389/894 1960/204/194/279/389/894
95 While the quotes in this essay come from the two groups held in London, wider research findings from the cross-national groups are also included. 96 The Digital News Survey is conducted online and comprises a sample of online news users. Respondents are therefore more likely to use online forms of news than respondents in face-to-face surveys. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 116
REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 126 Social media is the preferred source for one quarter (24%) of You’ve always got that friend that’ll just tell it 18–24s, compared to 1% of those aged 65+. That said, when as it is and then you’ve got that friend that’ll the types of online news source are examined, ‘traditional’ just exaggerate and elaborate … There’s broadcast and print sources online account for 55% of 18–24s’ “ preferred news sources, showing that younger people’s the good storyteller but then there’s the preference for online is currently as much about the means of person that will actually tell you what actually access rather than the type of news brand being consumed. happened.” (20–34 Female, US Focus Group)
FIGURE 1: FIGURE 2: MAIN SOURCE USED FOR NEWS (Q4) MAIN SOURCE USED FOR NEWS (Q4) This requirement for accuracy is overlaid with a need to be Single main source used Breakdown of types of online source used familiar with the news brand, to know what to expect from them, which in turn is connected to a need for a news brand to have 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% all all allintegrity,all or a set of values that the user identifies with. all
80% 84 80% 80%84 80%84 84 18-24 80% 84 18-24 18-24 18-24 18-24
25-34 25-34 I find it’s the editorial style which gives it 60% 60% 25-34 25-34 25-34 62 60% 6260% 62 62 60% 62 53 54 53 54 55-64 55-64 credence. If it’s well written and it’s easy 53 54 53 54 53 54 55-64 55-64 55-64 40% 42 40% 42 40 40% 4240% 4240 65+ 40% 42 65+ to read and it isn’t glaring. Say for instance 35 40 40 35 40 65+ 65+ 65+ 35 35 “35 27 27 the style doesn’t change from article to 26 24 26 24 20% 21 2020% 21 27 2127 20 26 21 26 27 26 19 20% 20% 17 19 20% 17 24 24 24 15 14 15 6 21 21 19 19 1420 20 6 21 21 21 19 20 article. That’s21 what the job of the editor is 4 11 13 4 4 11 17 13174 17 9 10 9 10 8 2 9 10 159 158 10 1 9 10 8 2 9 10 14 14 15 8 6 1 6 13 13 14 6 13 7 7 7 10 4 10104 7 10 2 210 107 7 11 11 10 44 104 2 10 11 4 0% 0% 9 9 9 9 8 7 8 9 7 9 7 7 79 78 8 19 1 8 7 9 to do7 is kind of 7like coalesce8 all1 these wildly Any online Any TV Any printed Radio Online TV/radio0%Any online0%Online pressAny TV Social mediaAny printed Radio Online TV/radio0% Online press Social media Any onlineAny online Any TV Any TV Any printedAny printed Radio Radio Online TV/radioOnlineAny online TV/radioOnline pressOnlineAny TV pressSocial mediaAnySocial printed media Radio Online TV/radiocreative writersOnline press to kindSocial of formmedia a singular sort of consensus and thread inside of the Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would Q4. You say you’ve used these sources of news in the last week, which would newspaper.” you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All/18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45- you say is your MAIN source of news? Base: All/18-24s/25-34s/35-44s/45- 54s/55+ who have used at least one source of news in the last week: UK = 54s/55+ who have used at least one source of news in the last week: UK = (20–34 Male, UK Focus Group) 1960/204/194/279/389/894 1960/204/194/279/389/894
For some, the ethos of a news brand is linked to its transparency, or congruence. These factors are separate to It is clear that for younger age groups in particular, news is being whether or not the brand is accurate or impartial. For example, accessed on new platforms. To what extent does this mean that one respondent preferred BuzzFeed to the Mail Online because: multiple sources of news are being consumed? When online sources of news are compared, younger people are twice as I think for me the difference between likely to be using a variety of sources as older age groups – BuzzFeed and the Mail [is] they’re both not 17% of 18–24s use five or more online sources compared to 11% of 55–64s and 8% of those aged 65+. And there remains “ serious. Not very credible sources. Not well a significant minority – around one quarter – across the age written but like for me BuzzFeed knows that groups who only use one online source for news. Attitudes it’s that. Whereas every time I click on the about trust are likely to be coloured by the extent to which Mail I feel really guilty because I know that people are accessing many or few news sources. Using a it’s rubbish.” variety of sources with different editorial stances can bring an awareness of the fundamental subjectivity in news provision; (20–34 Female, US Focus Group) this can lead to heightened scepticism about the veracity of news outlets, but can also result in increased trust and affinity for those sources that are judged to be reliable. This point of view implies that it is the overtness of the editorial stance that encourages trust, rather than necessarily the content of that editorial stance. ACCURACY AND IMPARTIALITY REMAIN CORE ATTRIBUTES OF TRUST LACK OF MEDIATION IS A CORE DIMENSION OF The qualitative focus groups provide a reminder of the varied TRUSTED NEWS dimensions of trust for news users. Accuracy and impartiality remain fundamental pillars of trust for many. If news is to be In addition to these factors, both the survey and the qualitative trusted, it needs to provide a coherent, consistent, accurate groups indicate that another core factor in trust is the overview of the news story, thoroughly researched and unmediated nature of some types of news. Figure 3 sets out checked. As one focus group participant described in the UK survey responses to three different attitude statements more general terms: – ‘I think you can trust most news most of the time’, ‘I think you can trust most news organisations most of the time’, and ‘I think you can trust most journalists most of the time’. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM slide 127
ESSAYS 116 / 117
FIGURE 3: LEVELS OF TRUST IN TYPES OF NEWS
“YOU CAN“YOU TRUST CAN“YOU TRUSTMOST CAN TRUST MOST MOST “YOU CAN“YOU TRUST CAN“YOU TRUSTMOST CAN TRUST NEWSMOST NEWSMOST NEWS “YOU CAN“YOU TRUST CAN“YOU TRUSTMOST CAN TRUST MOST MOST NEWS MOSTNEWS OFNEWSMOST THE OFMOST TIME” THE OF TIME” THE TIME”ORGANISATIONSORGANISATIONSORGANISATIONS MOST OFMOST THE OFMOST TIME” THE OF TIME” THEJOURNALISTS TIME”JOURNALISTSJOURNALISTS MOST OFMOST THE OFMOST TIME” THE OF TIME” THE TIME” 100% 100% 100% 20 2028 20 2825 28 2518 25 1819 18 1925 1925 39 2539 29 392922 292227 222732 2732423242 36 42 3630 363035 3035 35 DisagreeDisagreeDisagree
80% 80% 80% Neither/norNeither/norNeither/nor 30 30 30 31 3130 3130 30 38 38 38 34 34 34 33 33 33 28 28 28 36 36 36 22 22 22 46 46 46 AgreeAgreeAgree 60% 60% 60% 38 38 38 35 35 35 35 35 35 26 26 26 30 30 30 “YOU CAN TRUST MOST “YOU CAN TRUST MOST NEWS “YOU CAN TRUST MOST 50 50 50 51 5151 51 51 51 40% 40% 40% NEWS MOST OF THE TIME” ORGANISATIONS MOST OF THE TIME” JOURNALISTS MOST OF THE TIME” 44 44 44 42 42 42 100% 41 41 41 41 41 41 20 28 25 18 1935 2535 35 393535 29 35 3222 3227 32 32 42 36 30 35 Disagree 29 29 29 29 29 29 30 30 30 20% 20% 20% 28 28 28 25 25 25 80% Neither/nor 30 31 30 38 34 33 28 36 22 46 Agree 0% 0% 0%60% 38 35 All All18-24 All18-2425-3418-2425-3455-6425-3455-6465+55-6465+All All18-24 All65+ 18-2425-3418-2425-3455-6425-3455-6455-6465+All65+ 65+All18-24 All18-2425-3418-2425-343555-6425-3455-6465+55-6465+ 65+ 26 30 50 51 51 40% 44 Q6_2016_1/2/3. Thinking about news in general,41 do you agree or42 disagree with the following41 statements?: I think you can trust most news most of the time/I think you can trust 35 35 32 most news organisations most of the time/I think you can trust most journalists most of the time. Base: Total29 sample/18-24s/25-34s/55-64s/65+:29 30 UK = 2024/220/206/438/467 20% 28 25
0% The most general statements,All 18-24 25-34about55-64 news overall,All65+ commands18-24 25-34 55-64TRIANGULATIONAll65+ 18-24 25-34 INCREASINGLY55-64 65+ NECESSARY the highest levels of agreement, with around half of IN BUILDING TRUST respondents agreeing and one in five disagreeing. Younger However, unmediated news requires triangulation with other age groups are less likely to agree, and 28% of 18–24s say they sources, as another respondent notes: disagree that news in general can be trusted (see Figure 3).
When asked about organisations, levels of agreement are Twitter can often be just a normal person on somewhat lower, with around four in ten agreeing that they can the ground. It could be a refugee. It could mostly be trusted, decreasing to 35% for 18–24s. And when be someone living near Calais in France for asked about journalists, only three in ten agree they can be “ example. And just reporting as they see it. trusted, with more people saying they disagree that they can be trusted – including 42% of 18–24s. And quite often you do have to take this with a pinch of salt. But again I can’t really, unless In other words, more mediated forms of news provision are less it’s from someone who you know, you can’t likely to be trusted. The benefits of unmediated news were also really make an opinion out of it unless you highlighted in the qualitative research. As one respondent said about social media: compare it to other similar sources.” (20–34, Male, UK Focus Group) I totally know what you mean whenever you say trustworthy for social media because I For the active news users in the qualitative groups, this “ mean … it’s one thing one person’s saying. triangulation, or curation, of news input was seen as an Oh such and such has just happened increasingly necessary activity because of the range of in Bangladesh but then someone from available sources. This could be time-consuming and lead to Bangladesh who you can tell is there can say uncertainty about what to trust, and there was some wistfulness in the younger age-group for the printed press: actually no, I’m here and this happened.” (20–34 Male, UK Focus Group) You read what’s in front of you … If you have a newspaper you read it, you’re not drawn Similarly, there are some signs that images and video are seen “ into you know digressing into another app to as more unmediated than text, and therefore more trustworthy. bring you to another app to another source to There has been growth since 2014 in the consumption of video another, to YouTube to watch a video.” for online news, from 16% in 2014 to 22% in 2016, although (20–34 Female, UK Focus Group) compared to 2015 (21%) there has been no change. In qualitative groups, respondents spoke about the value of being able to see news events unfold, or to watch a As people become more aware of inherent subjectivity of ‘truth’ particular interviewee: in relation to news output, they need to assess for themselves the trustworthiness of the sources that they use. For active If they’re interviewing someone you can weigh news users, assessment across a range of sources is providing them up more. You can sort of see.” them with a complex, nuanced, but workable topography of (20–34 Male, UK Focus Group) trust. For those with a narrower range of news sources and less “ interest, the landscape is more limited. REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 118 118 / 119
POSTSCRIPT AND FURTHER READING REUTERS INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF JOURNALISM / DIGITAL NEWS REPORT 2016 120
POSTSCRIPT AND FURTHER READING
The authors welcome feedback on this report and OTHER RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS FROM THE suggestions on how to improve our work via REUTERS INSTITUTE [email protected] as well as potential http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/page/publications partnerships and support for our ongoing work. Rodrigo Carro, ‘Brazilian Newspapers: The Risk of Becoming Irrelevant’ (Fellows’ Research Paper, Reuters Institute for the RELEVANT SURVEYS AND REPORTS Study of Journalism, 2016) Emily Bell, ‘As Publishers Lose Control are Newspaper Websites Federica Cherubini and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Editorial a Dead Parrot?’ http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/feb/21/ Analytics: How News Media are Developing and Using publishers-adblocking-advertising-mobile Audience Data and Metrics (Feb. 2016) Digital News Project Publications: http://www.digitalnewsreport. Antonis Kalogeropoulos, The Future of Online Video org/publications (forthcoming – June 2016) Jimmy Maymann, ‘Distributed media, a shift to mobile and Rasmus Kleis Nielsen and Richard Sambrook, What is monetising content – what lies next for publishers?’: Happening to Television News? (Apr. 2016) https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/tags/jimmy- maymann#sthash.ed2BT8hn.dpuf Lucy Küng, Innovation in Journalism Organisations: An International Perspective (I. B. Tauris and RISJ, 2015) Ofcom, The Communications Market Report (Aug. 2015): http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market- Nic Newman, Media Journalism and Technology Predictions data/communications-market-reports/cmr15 (Jan. 2016)
— News Consumption in the UK 2015 (Oct. 2015): Annika Sehl, Public Service News and Digital Media (Mar. 2016) http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/ tv-research/news-2015 Servet Yanatma, ‘Media Capture and Advertising in Turkey: The Impact of State on News’ (Fellows’ Research Paper, Reuters — International Communications Market Report (Dec. 2015): Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2016) http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market- data/communications-market-reports/cmr15/international
Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, The State of the News Media (2016): http://stateofthemedia.org 120 / 121
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